O  miNCETON.  N.  J.  <f^ 


Presented  by  Mr.  Samuel  Agnew  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


/o  I  B?' 


Agneiv  Coll.  on  Baptism,  No, 

c  // 


f 


THE 

DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM, 


VIEWEI)  IN  ITS 


DOCTRINAL  RELATIONS. 


THE  LEADING  PASSAGES  IN  WHICH  IT  IS  TAUGHT 
EXEGETICALLY  TREATED  AND  EXPLAINED. 


By  JAMES  A^^IRTLEY. 


fflSEitij  an  appenirix, 

CONTAIXIXQ 

DTPORTANT  CONFIRMATORY  QUOTATIONS  FROM  NUMEROUS  AUTHORa 


PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR 

BY 

GEO.  E.   STEVENS  &  CO., 

CINCINNATI. 

1873. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873, 

By  JAMES  A.  KIKTLEY, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

STEREOTYPED  AT  THE  FRANKLIN  TYPE  FOUNDRY,  168  VINE  ST.,  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 


PREFACE 


An  earnest  and  careful  inquiry  into  the  subject  of  the  following 
treatise  was  undertaken  by  the  author  some  years  ago,  chiefly  with 
the  view  to  inform  his  own  mind  and  to  fit  himself  the  better  to 
instruct  those  to  whom  he  ministered,  and  especially  those  per- 
sons who,  by  the  grace  of  God,  were  led  to  profess  Christ  in  con- 
nection with  his  ministry.  He  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  that, 
while  tomes  and  epitomes  had  been  written  upon  "  the  mode  and 
subjects  of  baptism,"  so  far  as  he  could  ascertain  from  the  sources 
of  information  within  his  reach  little  else  had  appeared  upon  the 
scriptural  object  of  the  ordinance  than  a  mere  incidental  allusion 
to  it,  a  brief  comment  upon  some  passage  of  Scripture,  or  an  occa- 
sional fugitive  newspaper  article  on  some  disputed  passage  con- 
nected with  the  subject.  Those  portions  of  the  word  of  God 
relating  to  the  doctrinal  import  and  scriptural  design  of  the  ordi- 
nance, he  recognized  as  a  part  of  the  "  all  Scripture  given  by  inspi- 
ration," and  which  were  profitable  to  the  man  of  God.  Surely,  it 
was  not  forbidden  ground  ;  but  most  certainly  it  seemed  to  be  an 
unexplored  part  of  the  domain  of  theological  truth. 

Thoroughly  convinced  that  if  the  true  idea  of  the  design  of  the 
ordinance  was  comprehended,  and  could  be  set  forth  in  plainness 
and  simplicity,  in  the  Spirit  of  the  Master,  that  it  would  both  be 
edifying  to  Christians,  and  in  all  probability  would  be  much  more 
efiectual  in  settling  the  doubts  and  perplexities  of  inquirers  than 

(iii) 


IV  PEEFACE. 

the  ordinary  discussions  of  "  tlie  mode  and  subjects."  Despairing 
of  any  reliable  aid  from  e  traneous  sources,*  with  his  Greek  and 
English  New  Testaments  as  his  text-book,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  Cruden's  larger  Concordance,  he  diligently  and  prayerfully  set 
about  the  prosecution  of  his  inquiry. 

His  first  work  was  to  collect  all  the  passages  of  Scripture  bear- 
ing upon  the  subject,  and  studying  them  carefully  in  their  several 
connections,  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  what  was  the  leading,  govern- 
ing idea  pervading  them.  He  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that 
the  idea  of  unity  ran  throughout  them  all,  pointing  with  more  or 
less  directness  to  the  profession  or  declaration  of  a  spiritual  rela- 
tionship to  Christ  by  faith.  That  while  some  passages  were  little 
else  than  a  plain  declaration  of  the  fact  that  its  object  was  to  pro- 
fess Christ  before  men,  others  appear  to  have  been  used  with  a 
view  to  set  forth  particularly  some  leading  feature  of  that  common 
object. 

The  plan  of  treating  the  subject  was  conceived.  The  entire 
winter  of  1858  and  1859  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  subject. 
The,  result  was  a  concise  and  carefully  written  essay  of  thirty 
pages  of  foolscap.  Not  satisfied,  however,  with  the  accuracy  of 
some  of  his  expositions,  and  the  relative  position  to  the  subject 
assigned  to  several  of  the  passages  of  Scripture  introduced,  he  felt 
unwilling  to  give  to  the  public  the  fruit  of  his  labors,  though  so- 
licited to  do  so. 

During  the  intervening  years  the  subject  has  been  preached 
upon.  Many  points  have  been  reviewed  and  studied  with  great 
carej  certain  positions  then  maintained  have  been  receded  from 
and  new  views  have  been  reached. 


*The  only  treatise  on  the  subject  of  which  he  had  any  knowledge 
at  that  time  was  an  essay  by  Dr.  Samuel  W.  Lynd  ;  but  even  this  he 
did  not  obtain  for  nearly  a  year  afterward. 


PREFACE.  V 

About  two  years  ago,  the  author,  believing  that  he  could  bring 
to  the  examination  of  the  subject  a  wider  range  of  Bible  knowl- 
edge, a  larger  experience,  a  clearer  perception,  and  a  more  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  many  difficult  and  disputed  passages  of  Script- 
ure connected  with  the  subject,  set  about  in  earnest  the  work  of 
reconstruction,  elaboration,  and  extension.  Having  communi- 
cated the  plan  of  his  treatise,  and  his  views  of  the  teaching  of  many- 
portions  of  Scripture  connected  with  the  subject  to  several  breth- 
ren of  sound  judgment  and  Bible  knowledge,  he  has  been  urged  by 
them  to  prepare  the  same  for  the  press. 

After  very  thoroughly  reconstructing  and  greatly  extending  his 
original  essay,  and  several  times  rewi'lting  the  whole,  he  has  had 
the  pleasure  of  reading  a  series  of  articles  on  the  subject,  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  S.  H.  Ford,  in  The  Christian  Repository  The  able 
and  excellent  little  treatise  of  Dr.  Ira  Chase,  originally  preached 
before  the  Boston  association  of  Baptist  churches  has  fallen  under 
his  notice.  Also  a  very  clear  and  able  discourse  on  "  The  Rela- 
tion of  Baptism  to  Salvation,"  by  Professor  R.  M.  Dudley.*  These 
several  discussions  of  the  subject,  together  with  the  essay  of  Dr. 
Lynd,  have  been  carefully  examined,  and  are  found  to  contain 
many  excellent  and  judicious  reflections.  The  leading  views  of 
these  authors  having  been  previously  embodied  in  his  own  work, 
whatever  additional  views  and  suggestions  he  has  availed  himself 
of,  in  a  rewriting  he  has  preferred  taking  up  rather  by  assimila- 


*  The  attention  of  the  author  has  very  recently  been  directed  to  a 
well-written  and  instructive  work  on  the  subject,  by  Prof.  Turney,  of 
Madison  University.  Also  to  an  able  and  critical  discussion  of  "  The 
Idiom  of  the  New  Testament  Greek,"  and  the  force  of  such  idiomatic 
expressions,  as  occur  in  Mark  i :  4,  Acts  ii :  38,  Acts  xxii :  16,  by  Prof. 
Farnham,  L.L.  D.,  in  The  Christian  Repository  for  1852.  From  these 
authors  he  has  made  quotations. 


VI  PREFACE. 

tion,  tlian  in  tlie  form  of  quotations.  He  has  introduced  no 
quotations  from  authors  in  the  body  of  his  work,  preferring  to 
maintain  the  original  independent  character  of  his  treatise. 
Many  important  and  valuable  quotations,  however,  from  distin-- 
guished  authors,  pertaining  either  to  the  main  subject,  or  to  some 
particular  feature  of  the  subject,  have  been  arranged,  under  suita- 
ble headings,  in  an  appendix,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

After  much  laborious  research  and  thought,  the  author  has  been 
enabled  to  complete  his  work.  In  offering  it  to  the  public,  he  en- 
joys the  satisfying  consciousness  that  he  has  written  for  the  truth's 
sake,  and  in  no  spirit  of  disputation.  His  simple  object  has  been, 
the  edification  of  the  saints  and  the  guidance  of  inquirers.  He 
has  sought  to  follow  where  truth  led,  irrespective  of  the  views  of 
his  brethren  or  his  own  previous  views  He  trusts  that  he  has 
written  in  the  Spirit  of  the  Master.  During  no  period  of  his  life 
has  he  cultivated  with  more  assiduity  the  spirit  of  devotion  than 
during  the  preparation  of  this  work. 

And  now  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  whom  he  has  sincerely .  sought 
to  honor  by  this  labor,  this  little  unpretentious  volume  is  offered 
as  an  humble  contribution  to  the  cause  of  truth. 

THE  AUTHOK. 


OOE"TENTS 


Introduction, 15 

CHAPTER  I. 

6TATEMK^^?  OP  THE  SUBJECT. 

It  is  single  in  design.  Sjonbolic  of  the  Christian  profession. 
Indicated  by  the  peculiar  relation  the  penitent  sinner, 
through  faith,  sustains  to  Christ.  By  the  close  connec- 
tion between  faith  and  baptism, 25 


CHAPTER  II. 

GENEEAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT. 

Section  1.  The  Baptism  of  Jesus.  Prefigured  his  suffer- 
ings, burial,  and  resurrection.  The  occasion  of  his 
manifestation  to  Israel  as  the  Messiah.  Occasion  of  the 
Father  and  Spirit  testifying  to  his  Sonship.  Christ,  at 
this  juncture,  the  subject  of  the  most  interesting  proph- 
ecies. Necessary  that  he  should  fulfill  all  righteousness — 
actually  in  his  work,  symbolically  in  baptism.  He  as- 
sociates his  followers  with  himself  in  this  matter.  .  30 

Section  2.  Christ  put  on  in  baptism 42 

Section  3.  An  epitome  of  the  believer's  faith.        ...  45 

Section  4.  Equally  a  profession  of  faith  in,  and  subjection 
to,  the  Father  and  Holy  Spirit.    Important  particulars 

comprehended  in  this  outline, 46 

(vii) 


Viil  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST  CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer's  death  to  sin,  and  conse- 
quent separation  from  the  world, 48 

Section  1.  Death  to  sin, 48 

Section  2.  Separation  from  the  world, 60 

CHAPTER   IV. 

SECOND  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  rising  from  the  death  of 

sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  ...  53 

Section  1.  A  figurative  rising  with  Christ,     ....  54 

Section  2.  The  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  the  basis  of 
the  gospel-system.  The  ground  and  occasion  of  the 
twofold  emblem  in  baptism.  Doctrinal  basis  of  inter- 
pretation of  those  passages  which  relate  to  the  design  of 
the  ordinance, 9^ 

Section  3.  Contribution  to  the  removal  of  the  perplexity 
thrown  around  the  subject  by  erroneously  confounding 
with  baptism  certain  passages  which  have  no  relation 
to  it, 61 

Section  4.  A  great  principle  in  the  use  of  language  illustrated,  67 

CHAPTER   V. 

SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE   CONTINUED. 

Section  1.  Baptism  a  picture  of  life  from  the  dead.  Saves 
in  a  figure,  and  in  no  other  way.  The  requirement 
of  a  good  conscience, .81 

Section  2.  Symbolically  washes  awav  sins.  Ananias  ad- 
dressed Paul  as  a  Jew,  in  Jewish  ceremonial  phraseology,  88 

Section  3.  Symbolic  declaration  of  sins  remitted.  Mistakes 
committed  on  both  sides  of  the  question.  Doctrinally 
and  philologically  considered,  baptism  stands  connected 
with  "  remission  of  sins."  "  Remission  of  sins  "  ascribed 
to  two  things:  one  causal,  the  other  declaratory.  A 
reference  to  the  peculiar  idiom  of  the  Hebraic  Greek. 
Summary  of  facts  set  forth  and  proven,  ....  91 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTEE  VI. 

THIRD   CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  yielding  an  unreserved  and 

supreme  allegiance  to  Christ, 100 

Section  1.  The  baptismal  formula  teaches  it.  Paul's  illus- 
tration of  it.  Included  in  his  comprehensive  statement 
of  the  Christian  profession, 100 

Section  2.  The  instructive  analogy  between  the  baptism  of 

the  Israelites  and  that  of  believers,  .       .        .  103 

CHAPTER   VII. 

FOURTH   CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  putting  on  Christ,  in  the 

hope  and  full  assurance  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  108 

Section  1.  A  profession  of  faith  includes  that  of  hope.  Be- 
lievers in  baptism  planted  together  in  the  likeness  of 
Christ's  death — assured  also  of  rising  with  him.  Two 
facts  of  great  importance  implied, 108 

Section  2.  Baptism  "for  the  dead."  The  passage  teaching 
it  must  be  taken  in  its  most  natural  and  literal  signifi- 
cation. An  important  sense  in  which  believers  are  bap- 
tized "  for  the  dead."  Two  great  arguments  in  support 
of  the  resurrection  introduced:  one  fundamental  and 
causal,  the  other  explanatory  and  declarative;  one 
founded  on  the  certainty  and  far-reaching  consequence 
of  Christ's  resurrection,  the  other  on  a  specific  feature 
in  the  object  of  baptism.  The  argument  from  baptism 
constructed  on  the  same  principle  with  that  from  the 
resurrection  of  Christ.  Baptism  figuratively  declares 
•'  for  the  dead"  what  the  reign  of  Christ,  as  a  fruit  of 
his  resurrection,  actually  accomplishes,  ....         110 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS. 

Section  1.  That  must  be  the  true  and  only  object  of  baptism 
which  harmonizes,  in  all  its  representations,  with  the 
word  of  God, 128 


X  CONTENTS. 

Section  2.  The  form  or  mode  of  baptism  essential  to  its  de- 
sign,      129 

Section  3.  The  design  of  baptism  points  with  certainty  to  its 

scriptural  form  and  subjects, 131 

Section  ,4.  The  scriptural  form  and  design  of  baptism  are 

both  essential  to  the  ordinance, 132 

Section  5.  From  the  foregoing  discussion,  it  is  certain  that 
baptism  is  no  mere  "initiatory  rite,"  or  "door  into  the 
church," 136 

Section  6.  Baptism  not  designed  to  represent  the  giving  of 
the  Spirit,  nor  the  manner  of  his  work  in  regeneration ; 
and  in  the  sense  of  proof  or  evidence,  neither  "a  sign" 
nor  "seal  of  inward  grace," 139 

Section  7.  The  baptism  of  the  believer  fitly  and  fully  ex- 
presses the  fact  that  he  has  taken  upon  him  the  "  yoke 
of  Christ." 153 


APPENDIX. 
Authors  quoted, 163 


THE  OEDER  IN  WHICH  AUTHOES  AEE  QUOTED 
UNDEE  EACH  CHAPTEE,  AND  THEIE  EESPECTIVE 
SECTIONS. 


A— CHAPTER  I 


Andrew  Fuller,  . 
Richard  Baxter, 
Francis  Wayland, 
Neauder, 
J.  L.  Waller, 
De  Presseuse, 
Howell,  . 
Prof.  Turney, 
Prof.  Curtis, 
J.  Newton  Brown, 
A.  P.  Williams, 
Dr.  Crawford, 
Albert  Barnes, 
Richard  Fuller. 


164 
105 
165 
166 
167 
167 
168 
168 
168 
168 
169 
169 
169 
169 


B— CHAPTER  II. 

SECTION  I. 

Hinlon, 170 

Witsius, 170 

McK  night, 171 

Joel  Jones, 171 

Kendrick, 172 

Bengel, 172 

Con  ant, 172 

Ford, 173 

Wm.  Jones,  .       .       .       .171 

Stier 175 

Chase, 176 

Smeaton 177 


SECTION  II. 

Dr.  Gill,         .       .       .        . 

.    182. 

Dr.  Brown,  Edinburgh,   . 

.    182 

SECTION  III. 

J.  Newton  Brown,     . 

.    183 

SECTION  IV. 

Olshausen,    .       . 

.    183 

Lynd.S.W.,        .       .       . 

.    183 

Crawford,  N.  M.,       .       . 

.    184 

D.  C.  Haynes,      . 

.    184 

C-CHAPTER  III. 

SECTION  I. 

Carson, 185 

Connybeare  &  Howson,  .       .  185 

Luther, 186 

Matthies, 186 

McKnight, 187 

Lange, 187 

Whitby, 187 

Archbishop  Tillotson,      .       .  188 

SECTION  II. 

Andrew  Fuller,  .       .       .       .188 

Conant, 188 

Crawford, 189 

Curtis 189 

(xi) 


xii         OEDEE  OF   QUOTATIONS  AND  AUTHOES. 


FAOS. 

D— CHAPTER  IV. 

SECTION  I. 

McKnight, 190 

Tyndale, 190 

Chalmers, 190 

Crawford 190 

E-CHAPTER  V. 
SECTION  I. 

Gill, 191 

Dudley, 191 

SECTION  II. 

Turney, 192 

Williams, 192 

Hintou, 192 

Luther 193 

Chase, 193 

Carson, 193 

SECTION  III. 

A.  Fuller, 194 

Crawford, 194 

Farnharn, 194 

F— CHAPTER  VI. 

SECTION  I 

Wayland, 197 

Knapp, 198 

Matthew  Henry,       .       .       .199 
J.  A.  Broaddus,  .       .       .       .199 

Curtis, 199 

"Williams, 200 

SECTION  II. 

A.  Fuller 200 

Hinton, 201 

J.L.Waller,        .       .       .       .201 


McKnight, 202 

Lynd, 202 

G— CHAPTER  VII. 
SECTION  I. 

Carson, 203 

Lynd, 203 

SECTION  II, 

Curtis, 204 

Clark,      ...  .       .    204 

Williams,     .       .       .       •       .   204 

H-CHAPTER  VIII. 

SECTION  III. 

Pendleton, 206 

SECTION  IV. 

Owen, 206 

Dana, 207 

Reynolds, 207 

SECTION  V. 

Dr.  Lynd, 208 

Dr.  Reynolds,      .       .       .       ,208 

SECTION  VI. 

Calvin, 208 

Presbyterian  *'  Confession  of 

Faith," 209 

Dwight, 209 

Church   of    Scotland   "Con- 
fession of  Faith,"  ...    209 
Thiity-nine  Articles   of  the 
Church  of  England,   .       .    209 

Neander, 210 

John  Wesley,      .       .       .       .210 
Dr.  Crawford,      .       .       .      .211 


INDEX     "^v?v% 

Of  passages   exegetiGally  treated  and  explained. 


Matthew  3 :  15.  . 
Galatians  3:  26,  27. 
Romans  6 :  3,  4. 
Colossians  2:  12. 
Zechariahl3:  1. 
1  Corinthians  6 :  11 
Titus  3:  5.  .       . 
John  15 :  3. . 
Isaiah  44:  3-6.    . 
Epliesians  5:  25,  26. 
James  1:  18. 
1  Peter  1 :  23.     . 
John  3:5.. 


PAGE 

30 
44 
48 
54 
57 
61 
63 


PAGE 

Ezekiel  36 :  25-28. 

.       78 

1  Peter  3 :  21.  . 

81 

Acts  22  :  16.     . 

.       88 

Acts  2:  38.      .       . 

.       91 

Matthew  28:  19.    . 

.      100 

1  Corinthians  1 :  13. 

.     101 

1  Corinthians  10 :  1,  2 

.      103 

Romans  6:5. 

.      108 

1  Corinthians  15:  29. 

.      110 

Joel  2 :  28,  29. 

.       .      144 

Acts  2  :  17,  18.       . 

.       .      144 

1  Corinthians  12 :  13. 

.       .      148 

(xiii) 


INDEX  OF  AUTHORS  QUOTED. 


PAGE 

Baxter, 165 

Barnes, 169 

Beugel, 172 

Brown,  of  Edinburgh,  .  .  182 
Brown,  J.  Newton,    .       .    168,  183 

Broaddus,  J.  A 199 

Calvin, 208 

Carson,  ....    185,  193,  203 

Clarlt, 204 

Cli  aimers,     .       ...       .       .190 

Cliase, 176,  193 

Conant, 172,  188 

Connybeare  and  Howson,  .  185 
Crawford,  169, 184, 188, 190,  194,  211 
Curtis,     .        .        .     168,189,199,204 

Dwight, 209 

Dana, 207 

Dudley, 191 

De  Pressense,  .  .  .  .167 
Fuller,  Andrew, .  164,  188, 194,  201 
Fuller,  Richard, .       .       .       .167 

Farnliam, 194 

Ford 173 

Gill, 182,  191 

Henry  Matthew,  .  .  .199 
Hintoij^,.       .       .       .    170,  192,  201 

Howell, 168 

Haynes, 184 

Jones,  Wm.,  .  .  .  .174 
Jones,  Joel, 171 


PAGB 

Knapp, 198 

Kendrick, 172 

Luther, 186,  193 

Lange,    ....    187,  203,  208 

Lynd, 183,202 

McKniglit,    .       .      171,187,190,202 

Matthies, 186 

Neander,       ....    166,  210 

Olsliausen, 183 

Owen, 206 

Pendleton, 206 

Reynolds, 208 

Smeaton, 177 

Stier, 175 

Tyndale, 190 

Tillotson,  Arch.,         .       .       .188 

Turney 168,  192 

Wayland,      ....    165,  197 

Waller, 167 

Wesley, 210 

Whitby, 187 

Witsius, 170 

Williams,  A.  P., .  169, 192,  200,  204 
"  Presbyterian  Confession  of 

Faith," 209 

"  Confession    of  Faith  "     of 

Church  of  Scotland,  .  .  209 
"  Thirty-nine     Articles "     of 

Church  of  England,       .       .    209 


(xiv) 


INTRODUCTION 


"Baptize  Ikto,  In,  Unto,  For,"  in  Connection  with  the 
Design  of  Baptism. 

The  reader  of  the  New  Testament  not  unfrequently  meets 
with  the  expressions,  "baptize  into,"  "baptize  in,"  "baptize 
unto,"  and  "  baptize  for."  If  he  aims  to  form  from  its  sacred 
pages  a  regular  system  of  doctrine  that  shall  be  consistent  and 
harmonious  in  all  its  parts,  he  often  feels  perplexed  as  to  the 
force  of  these  varied  expressions.  As  a  befitting  introduction 
to  the  following  thoughtful  and  earnest  discussion  of  the 
"  Design  of  Baptism,"  we  modestly  propose  an  easy  solution 
of  the  difficulty. 

We  think  it  will  help  the  common  reader  to  know — it  is  cer- 
tainly a  fact  worthy  of  consideration — that  when  we  look  at  the 
passages  containing  these  various  phrases,  in  the  Greek,  we  do 
not  find  a  variety  of  phrases  corresponding  to  the  Authorized 
Version.  Instead,  we  find  one  uniform  expression,  which  is 
thus  variously  translated.  That  form  is  the  verb  for  baptize, 
with  the  preposition  eis.    Literally  rendered,  it  would   be, 

(XV) 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

''baptize  into."  It  occurs  in  tlie  following  passages,  and  is 
translated  thus : 

Matt,  iii :  11 :  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repent- 
ance. 

Matt,  xxviii :  16 :  Go  .  .  .  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

Mark  i :  4 :  John  .  .  .  did  preach  the  baptism  of  repentance 
for  the  remission  of  sins.     (Luke  iii :  3.) 

Acts  ii :  38 :  Eepent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ /or  the  remission  of  sins. 

Acts  viii :  16 :  They  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

Eom.  vi:  3,  4:  Know  ye  not  that  so  many  of  us  as  were 
baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  were  baptized  into  his  death? 
Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into  death. 

1  Cor.  1:13:  Were  ye  baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul  ?  Also, 
ver.  15. 

1  Cor.  X :  2 :  And  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud 
and  in  the  sea. 

This  same  form  occurs  elsewhere,  but  these  are  the  principal 
and  most  important  passages  where  it  is  used  to  express  the 
meaning  or  design  of  baptism.  Before  we  proceed,  a  general 
remark  or  two. 

A  recent  work  by  the  first  scholars  of  Europe  says  that  this 
is  the  form  used  by  the  inspired  writers  when  speaking  "  of  the 
end  or  purpose  for  which  the  baptism  is  effected  ...  In  these 
cases,  eis  retains  its  proper  significancy,  as  indicating  the  ter- 
minus ad  quern,  and,  tropically,  that  for  which  or  with  a  view 
to  which  the  thing  is  done ;  modified  according  as  this  is  a  per- 


rNTEODUCTIOX.  XYU 

son  or  a  thing."  ^  Now,  since  this  is  the  form  used  by  the  in- 
spired writers  to  express  the  meaning  or  design  of  baptism, 
would  it  not  have  been  better  if  this  form  liad  had  some  set 
translation  ?  Even  if  it  had  not  helped  us  any  in  the  sphere 
of  interpretation,  it  would  have  lessened  our  perplexity  con- 
cerning the  unity  of  that  design.  Why  distract  our  minds 
with  baptism  unto  remission,  for  repentance,  and  into  Christ, 
when  in  the  Greek  we  have  one  unvarying  expression?  If 
unto  be  the  right  rendering,  then  let  us  have  unto  repentance, 
unto  remission,  and  unto  Christ.  If  for,  then  let  us  have  for 
repentance,  for  remission,  for  Christ.  If  into,  then  let  us  have 
into  repentance,  into  remission,  into  Christ.  We  do  not  plead 
for  any  particular  translation ;  we  plead  merely  for  a  uniform- 
ity, corresponding  to  that  in  the  Greek. 

The  careful  reader  will  observe  that  these  passages  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes : 

1.  We  have  "  baptized  unto  Moses,  into  Christ,  in  the  name 
of  Paul,  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  of  the  Father,  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

2.  We  have  "baptized  unto  repentance,  for  remission,  and 
into  death." 

In  regard  to  the  first  class.  Dean  Alford  says  that  the  ex- 
pression rendered  baptized  in  the  name,  where  eis  and  not  en 
is  used,  should  always  be  rendered  into  the  name.  Something 
more  is  intended  by  the  expression  than  that  the  baptism  is  ad- 
ministered by  the  authority  of  the  person  into  whom  one  is 
baptized.    Also  Kitto,  as  quoted  above,  says  of  the  expressions 


*Kitto's  Biblical  Cydopcedia,  edited  by  W.  L.  Alexander,  D.D.,  etc.,  vol.  i, 
Art.  Baptism. 


XVIU  INTRODTJCTTOIT. 

baptize  in,  and  into  the  name,  that  some  regard  them  as  iden- 
tical in  meaning,  "  but  the  more  exact  scholars  view  them  as 
distinct." 

In  regard  to  this  same  class  of  passages,  we  remark  that  to 
baptize  into  the  name  of  any  one  is  the  same  as  to  baptize  into 
any  one.  To  baptize  into  the  name  of  Paul,  or  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  is  the  same  as  to  baptize  into  Paul,  or  into  the  Lord 
Jesus.  This,  I  suppose,  none  will  question.  Our  inquiry, 
then,  is  narrowed  down  to  this  point:  What  is  it  to  be 
baptized  into  any  one — e.  g.,  the  Lord  Jesus?  The  learned 
Olshausen  says  that  the  meaning  of  baptism  into  the  name  of 
the  Father,  etc.,  is  to  be  learned  from  1  Cor.  i :  13,  and  x :  2, 
where  baptism  into  the  name  of  Paul,  and  into  Moses,  is  spoken 
of.  Following  this  hint,  let  us  look  at  1  Cor.  i:  13.  In  the 
church  at  Corinth  there  were  contentions  about  leaders.  They 
had  even  arrayed  themselves  in  parties  under  the  banner  of 
their  favorites.  One  party  claimed  Paul  as  its  leader,  another 
Cephas,  etc.  Against  all  this,  Paul  animadverted  in  the 
strongest  terms,  showing  how  unreasonable  and  groundless  it 
was.  He  says :  "  Is  Christ  divided  ?  Was  Paul  crucified  for 
you  ?  or  were  ye  baptized  into  the  name  of  Paul  ?  "  To  show 
them  the  folly  of  their  parties,  he  reminds  them  of  their  one 
Lord,  by  whom  they  were  redeemed,  and  into  whom  they  were 
baptized.  On  this  language,  Bengel  pithily  remarks:  "Cru- 
cified— baptized — the  cross  and  baptism  claim  us  for  Christ. 
The  correlatives  are,  redemption  and  self-dedication."  Jamie- 
son,  Fausset,  Brown,  say:  "The  cross  claims  us, for  Christ  as 
redeemed  by  him ;  baptism,  as  dedicated  to  him."  Let  it  be 
remembered  that  Paul,  to  show  the  folly  of  their  parties,  re- 
calls their  baptism.    Into  whom  were  ye  baptized  ?    The  force 


nTTEODTJcnoN.  xix 

/  and  pertinence  of  this  question  depends  on  the  fact  that  bap- 

'   tism  into  any  one  arrays  the  baptized  under  him  into  whom  he  is 

baptized.     Whitby  and  Lowman,  in  their  paraphrase  of  this 

passage,  say  :  "  Or  were  ye  baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul  (so  as 

to  be  called  the  disciples  of  Paul)  ?  "    Locke  most  forcibly  says 

on  this  text :  "  The  phrase  '  to  be  baptized  into  any  one's  name, 

or  into  any  one/  is  solemnly,  and  by  that  ceremony,  to  enter 

j  himself  a  disciple  of  him  into  whose  name  he  is  baptized,  with 

\  profession  to  receive  his  doctrines  and  l-ules,  and  to  submit  to 

|his  authority — a  very  good  argument  here  why  they  should  be 

'Called  by  no  one's  name  but  Christ's." 

Let  us  now  look  at  1  Cor.  x:  2:  "All  our  fathers  .  .  .  were 
baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea."  This  refers 
to  the  passage  of  the  Israelites  through  the  sea.  They  had 
forsaken  their  homes  to  follow  Moses.  He  was  their  leader  and 
their  deliverer.  In  an  hour  when  they  had  looked  for  swift 
and  awful  destruction,  he  had  delivered  them  from  all  their 
enemies,  and  led  them  dry-shod  through  the  sea.  How  forcibly 
were  they  thus  reminded  of  their  relation  to  him !  Whatever 
thoughts  they  may  have  had  for  themselves,  their  safety  and 
their  destiny,  now  they  were  fixed  upon  him.  They  saw 
clearly  their  dependence  on  him,  and  their  subjection  to  him. 
It  taught  them  to  look  to  him,  to  trust  him,  and  to  obey  him. 
Dr.  Hodge  says,  ^'  It  made  them  the  disciples  of  Moses ;  placed 
them  under  obligation  to  recognize  his  divine  commission  and 
authority."  This  was  the  moral  significance  to  the  Israelites, 
of  their  passage  through  the  sea  as  it  respected  Moses;   and 

(so  far  forth  the  epistle  heartily  and  forcibly  calls  it  a  "  baptism 
into  Moses."  We  see,  too,  that  baptism  into  Moses  is  of  the 
same  general  purport  with  baptism  into  Paul. 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  baptism  into  Moses  was 
called  a  baptism  because  of  its  moral  resemblance  to  the  bap- 
tism into  Christ ;  also,  that  the  baptism  into  the  name  of  Paul 
was  supposed  in  the  place  of  baptism  into  Christ.  Hence  the 
baptism  into  Moses  and  into  Paul  corresponds  in  moral  signfi- 
cance  to  the  baptism  into  Christ.  It  should  also  be  remem- 
bered that  baptism  into  Christ  is  identical  with  baptism  into 
the  name  of  the  Son,  and  corresponds  in  significance  to  bap- 
tism into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
only  difference  being  the  difference  in  the  Persons  into  whom 
one  is  baptized.  Baptism  into  Christ,  or  into  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost,  is  the  solemn  reeognition  of  the  relation  ive  sustain  to 
these  divine  Persons — a  solemn  recognition  that  toe  are  pledged  to 
them — to  dependence  upon  them,  a7id  subjection  to  thevn.  We 
might  safely  rest  the  meaning  of  "  baptized  into "  here,  but 
there  is  one  other  of  the  first  class  of  passages  that  demands 
particular  attention.  We  refer  to  Gal.  iii:  26,  27:  "For  ye 
are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as 
many  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ." 
There  are  two  things  asserted  here  in  connection  with  "  baptism 
into  Christ"  that  are  very  important.  1st.  We  are  told  how 
we  become  children  of  God.  It  is  "  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Not  only,  does  faith  go  before  baptism — it  is  an  indispensable 
prerequisite  to  it;  hence  we  become  children  of  God  before 
baptism.  Nothing  can  be  plainer  and  more  certain.  2d.  The 
apostle  describes  the  baptism  into  Christ  as  putting  on  Christ. 
The  putting  on  here  indicated  is  like  that  of  putting  on  one's 
clothes.  The  noun  form  of  the  verb  here  rendered  "  put  on," 
means  clothing,  vesture,  raiment,  a  garment.  The  same  word  is 
used  in  Matt,  xxvii :  31 :  "  And  after  they  had  mocked  him,  they 


INTRODUCTION.  XXi 

took  the  robe  off  from  him,  and  put  his  own  raiment  on  him, 
and  led  him  away  to  crucify  him."  Also  in  Matt,  xxii :  11 : 
"  And  when  the  king  came  in  to  see  the  guests,  he  saw  there  a 
man  which  had  not  on  a  wedding  garment."  In  1  Cor.  xv :  53, 
64,  it  is  used  in  reference  to  putting  on  that  incorruptible  and 
immortal  body  with  which  the  spirit  shall  be  clothed  after  the 
resurrection.  Elsewhere  it  is  used  with  reference  to  clothing 
ourselves  with  the  disposition  of  Christ,  etc.  In  this  same 
general  sense,  baptism  is  called  putting  on  Christ.  Baptism  is 
then  an  exterior  covering  with  Christ,  The  "  child  of  God  " 
therein  clothes  himself  in  this  beautiful  garb.  "  They  "  [the 
baptized],  says  Locke,  "are  covered  all  over  with  him,  as  a 
man  is  with  the  clothes  he  has  put  on."  Hence  baptism  is 
external;  and  hence,  3ih,o,  profe^smial. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  second  class  of  passages 
in  which  we  have  baptized  into  repentance,  into  remission,  and 
into  death. 

"We  here  repeat  and  emphasize  our  conviction  as  to  the  pro- 
priety of  a  set  translation  of  these  words  that  shall  correspond 
to  the  original.  Whatever  that  translation  may  be,  let  us  have 
uniformity.  If  we  have  unto  repentance  in  Matt,  iii :  11,  let  us 
have  unto  remission  in  Acts  ii-:  38,  and  unto  death  in  Eom.  vi: 
3,  4.  Or,  if  we  have  for  remission,  let  us  have  for  repentance^ 
and  for  death.  Or,  if  into  death,  then  let  us  have  into  repent- 
ance and  into  remission.  By  no  means  let  us  have  unto  repent- 
ance, for  remission,  and  into  death,  in  the  translation,  when  the 
original  is  uniform. 

But  passing  to  the  sphere  of  interpretation,  we  remark  that 
these  words  mean  that  baptism  is  either  professional  or  procura- 


XXU  INTRODIJCTION". 

tive.  It  is  either  the  celebration  of  the  facts  of  repentance,  re- 
mission, and  death,  in  respect  to  us,  or  it  is  the  means  by  which 
we  procure  repentance,  remission,  and  death.  If  it  is  the  cele- 
bration of  the  fact  of  repentance,  it  is  also  of  the  facts  of  re- 
mission and  of  death.  If  it  is  the  means  of  procuring  remis- 
sion, it  is  also  of  procuring  repentance  and  death.  It  can  not 
be  professional  in  the  case  of  repentance,  and  procurative  in 
the  case  of  remission,  but  the  same  in  both.  The  same  also  in 
the  case  of  death. 

Now,  the  fact  that  baptism  into  Christ,  etc.,  is  external  and 
professional,  is  a  presumption  that  the  baptism  into  repentance, 
remission,  and  death,  is  also  external  and  professional.  It  is  a 
presumption  that  we  put  on  repentance,  put  on  remission,  put 
on  death.  In  other  words,  that  baptism  is  an  exterior  covering 
of  ourselves  with  repentance,  remission,  and  death. 

But  there  is  something  stronger  than  presumption  in  favor 
of  this  interpretation  of  Matt,  iii :  11.  When  the  Pharisees 
came  to  John  Baptist  and  demanded  this  exterior  covering  of 
repentance  (baptism),  he  refused  it  to  them.  He  bade  them 
**  bring  forth  the  fruits  meet  for  repentance,"  before  he  would 
professionally  clothe  them  with  it  in  baptism.  (Matt,  iii :  7, 8.) 
And  as  with  repentance,  so  in  baptism  we  professionally  clothe 
ourselves  with  remission  and  with  death.  This  is  necessarily 
so  in  the  case  of  remission  of  sins,  because,  as  we  have  seen,  we 
become  children  of  God  by  faith,  and  faith  precedes  baptism ; 
hence  we  become  children  of  God  before  baptism.  If  children 
of  God,  then  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ,  and  as 
such  possess  all  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  of  grace,  either  in 
prospect  or  i^  reality.    Besides  this,  the  gospel  offers  no  car- 


INTEODUCTION.  Xxili 

dinal  blessing  to  men  that  is  not  specifically  connected  with  faith 
— pardon,  Acts  x :  43  ;  justification,  Acts  xiii :  19 ;  peace  with. 
God,  Kom.  V :  1 ;  purity  of  heart,  Acts  xv :  9 ;  eternal  life, 
John  iii :  14,  15,  16 ;  salvation,  Acts  xvi :  31 ;  heavenly  inher- 
itance, Acts  xxvi:  18.  Besides  this,  the  apostle  tells  us  in. 
Hebrews  that  water  is  for  our  bodies ;  the  blood  of  Christ  for 
our  souls.  Having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con- 
science, and  our  bodies  washed  with  pure  water.  (Heb.  x :  22.) 
Here  again  is  baptism  represented  as  an  external  act,  and  is 
distinguished  from  the  cleansing  of  the  heart  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  and  is  placed  after  it. 

That  the  baptism  into  death  is  professional,  will  appear  ob- 
viously so  if  we  consider  the  significance  and  propriety  of  the 
figure  the  apostle  there  introduced.  He  calls  the  baptism  into 
death  a  burial.  To  whom  do  the  rites  of  sepulture  pertain? 
Only  to  the  dead.  We  bury  the  dead.  It  is  only  of  dead  per- 
sons that  we  could  predicate  a  burial.  Unless  they  were  dead, 
it  would  be  no  burial.  Any  one  familiar  with  the  style  of 
Paul,  and  especially  with  the  precision  and  exquisiteness  of 
his  figures,  could  not  be  made  to  believe  that  he  could  have 
been  guilty  of  so  great  an  impropriety  of  speech  as  to  call  the 
baptism  into  death  a  burial,  except  as  it  was  a  rite  for  the 
dead.  Now,  as  those  who  had  brought  forth  fruit  meet  for  re- 
pentance were,  in  baptism,  professionally  clothed  with  repent- 
ance, so  those  who  have  died  indeed  unto  sin  are,  in  bap- 
tism, professionally  clothed  with  death  to  sin.  So  they  who 
are  baptized  into  remission  of  sins  clothe  themselves  with  re- 
mission of  sins,  not  actually,  but  professionally,  as  they,  not 
actually,  but  professionally  clothe  themselves,  in  baptism,  with 


XXIV  INTEODUCTION. 

repentance  and  death.    We  can  not  see  either  harmony  or  con- 
sistency in  any  other  view. 

We  submit  these  remarks  to  the  reader  as  the  matured  con- 
viction of  much  diligent  study  and  inquiry,  though  written 
hastily  and  under  exceeding  embarrassment. 

E.  M.  D. 

Geokqetown,  Ky.,  May  5,  1873. 


DESIGN    OF    BAPTISM, 


CHAPTEK    I. 

STATEMENT   OF   THE   SUBJECT. 

Baptism  is  an  ordinance  "  from  heaven,"  and  not 
"  of  men."  Its  relative  importance,  as  a  part  of  the  di- 
vine counsel,  may  be  justly  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in 
the  Christianas  inspired  and  sublime  motto  it  is  grouped 
together  Avith  the  ^^  one  Lord,"  and  the  '^  one  faith  "  of 
God's  elect.  (Eph.  iv ;  5.)  Unity  of  character  is 
ascribed  to  it ;  it  is  single  in  design,  which  is  to  sym- 
bolize the  believer  putting  on  the  complete  Christian 
profession.  The  scriptural  character  of  this  ordinance ; 
its  adaptedness  to  this  end  ;  its  beauty  and  significance, 
are  only  seen  and  appreciated  when  this  unity  of  design 
is  kept  in  view.  Much  error  and  confusion  have  pre- 
vailed in  regard  to  this  ordinance,  from  attributing  to 
it  a  diversity  of  forms,  applications,  and  designs,  in  con- 
travention of  the  express  declaration  of  God — there  is 
**  one  baptism."  It  is  equally  clear  that  this  ordinance,  in 
3  (25) 


26  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

its  doctrinal  import,  lias  been  greatly  mlsappreliende<3_, 
and  wholly  perverted,  by  wresting  it  from  its  true  scrip- 
tural relations.  In  the  discussion  of  this  subject,  there- 
fore, we  shall  observe  that  unity  of  character  which  be- 
longs to  it ;  and  shall  begin  our  inquiries  where  the 
counsel  of  God  has  placed  it — at  the  threshold  of  the 
new  life  of  faith. 

The  penitent  sinner,  who  believes  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  sustains  a  peculiarly  interesting  relation  to  Him ; 
Hie  has  been  awakened  from  his  former  death-like  slum- 
ber to  a  knowledge  and  sense  of  sin — the  genuine  con- 
stituents of  true  repentance ;  has,  through  sorrow  of 
,^rt  for  sin,  learned  to  hate  and  loathe  it,  and  to  ap- 
prove the  righteous  sentence  of  the  divine  law  in  his 
own  condemnation;  has  relinquished  his  false  hopes, 
and,  "  through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,^^  has 
arisen  from  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  holiness;  and 
this  independent  of  baptism.  For  without  any  such 
contingency,  "  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great 
love  wherewith  he  loved  us  even  when  we  were  dead 
in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  with  Christ  (by 
grace  ye  are  saved) .^'  (Eph.  iv  :  4,  5.)  "  In  whom  we 
have  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of 
sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  (Eph.  i :  7.) 
It  is  an  independent  proposition  which  Christ  annun- 
ciates when  he  says,  "  he  that  heareth  my  word,  and 
believeth  on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlasting  life, 
and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed 
from  death  unto  life."  (John  v :  24.)  And  to  all  such 
belongs  the  essential  evidence  of  a  changed  state.    **  We 


STATEMENT  OF  THE  SUBJECT.  27 

know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto  life,  because 
we  love  the  brethren/'     (1  John  iii ;  14.) 

In  this  truly  interesting  relation  does  the  believer 
stand,  when  the  touching  appeal  of  the  Saviour  arouses 
and  guides  him  into  holy  action.  ''  If  any  man  will 
come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up  his 
cross  and  follow  me/'  (Matt,  xvi :  24.)  "■  If  ye  love 
me,  keep  my  commandments."  (Johnxiv:  15.)  "Take 
my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me."  (Matt,  xi :  29.) 
There  meets  him  at  the  very  threshold  of  his  new  and 
spiritual  life  the  positive  requisition  of  baptism.  The 
counsel  of  God  has  placed  it  here.  (Luke  vii :  29,  30.) 
And  where  this  ordinance  is  practicable,  there  is  cer- 
tainly no  intervening  expression  in  '^  the  obedience  of 
faith "  which  has  precedence  of  it,  except  that  "  with 
the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation." 

The  commission  establishes  the  close  connection  be- 
tween faith  and  baptism.  "  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach 
(disciple)  all  nations,  baptizing  them,"  etc.  (Matt, 
xxvlii :  19.)  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature ;  he  that  belleveth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved,"  etc.  (Mark  xvi:  15,  16.) 
The  apostles  understood  the  spirit  and  scope  of  this 
commission,  and  were  preserved  from  error  in  their 
practice  under  it,  by  the  presence  and  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Their  practice,  as  seen  in  the  record- 
ed Instances  of  the  baptism  of  the  early  converts,  shows 
that  baptism  followed  immediately  upon  faith. 

The  three  thousand  who  were  "pricked  in  their 
heart,"  and  "  gladly  received  the  word,"  were  doubt- 


28  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

less  baptized   on  ^'  the   day  of  Pentecost."     (Acts  ii : 

41.) 

As  soon  as  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  had  believed  on 
{he  Lord  Jesus  "  with  all  his  heart,  he  went  down  into 
the  water.''     (Acts  viii :  37,  38.) 

The  scales  had  no  sooner  fallen  from  the  eyes  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  than  "he  arose  and  was  baptized." 
(Acts  ix  :  18.) 

The  Gentile  converts  in  the  house  of  Cornelius  were 
forthwith  baptized,  upon  the  evidence  appearing  of 
their  having  received  the  grace  of  God  in  the  exercise 
of  faith.     (Acts  V  :  47,  48.) 

The  jailer  and  his  believing  household,  converted 
during  the  night,  were  baptized  before  the  dawn  of 
morning.  (Acts  xvi :  33.)  Other  examples  where  it 
is  not  expressly  stated  nevertheless  strongly  imply  the 
fact  that  baptism  followed  immediately  upon  faith. 

This  close  connection  between  faith  and  baptism, 
established  by  the  great  statute  law  of  the  King  in 
Zion,  taught  and  enforced  by  the  apostles,  and  zeal- 
ously maintained  by  the  early  Christians,  shows  that 
this  ordinance,  from  its  own  proper  form  and  divine 
appointment,  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  symbolize  the  be- 
liever putting  on  the  complete  profession  of  Christianity. 
This  is  its  single  and  unique  design — an  emblematic 
representation  of  the  believer's  scriptural  and  compre- 
hensive profession  of  faith.* 

-■•See  Appendix  A,  page  164.  A.  Fuller,  Baxter,  Wayland,  Nean- 
der,  Waller,  De  Pressense,  Howel,  Turney,  Curtis,  Brown,  J.New- 
ton, Williams,  Crawford,  Barnes,  E.  Fuller. 


CHAPTER    II. 

GENERAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF   THE  SUBJECT. 

Baptism  is  a  divinely-appointed  figure  of  burial  and 
resurrection. 

In  this  ordinance  an  immersion  into  water  is  imme- 
diately followed  by  an  emersion  out  of  the  water.  The 
emblem  is  therefore  complete.  The  likeness  is  dis- 
tinctly marked,  and  being  appointed  of  God  to  this 
end,  can  not  fail  to  impress  most  solemnly  and  affect- 
ingly  the  humble  unbiased  mind. 

The  baptism  of  Christ  prefigured  his  approaching  ) 
sufferings.  He  indeed  speaks  of  his  sufferings,  pro-  / 
spectively,  as  a  baptism  ;  as  in  reply  to  James  and 
John,  "  the  sons  of  Zebedee,^^  and  their  mother  (Matt. 
XX :  22 ;  Mark  x :  38),  and  as  spoken  on  another 
occasion,  recorded  by  Luke  xii :  50  :  "  But  I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with ;  and  how  am  I  straitened 
till  it  be  accomplished !" 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  work  as  "a  man  of  sorrow, 
and  acquainted  with  grief,"  he  was  plunged  into  them. 
In  their  consummation  he  was  overwhelmed  by  them.  ; 
Hence  are  they  figuratively  called   a  baptism.      And 
hence,  also  through  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  he  is  per- 

C29) 


30  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

sonated  in  the  language  of  the  afflicted  David,  but 
more  especially  in  the  words  of  the  afflicted  Jonah,  as 
saying  :    "  All  thy  waves  and  all  thy  billows  are  gone  / 
over  me.''     (Ps.  xlii :  7 ;  Jonah  ii :  3.) 

"  For  as  Jonah  was  three  days  and  three  nights  in   ' 
the  whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth."    (Matt, 
xii:  40.) 

Section  1.  The  baptism  of  Jesus,  moreover,  prefig- 
ured his  burial  and  resurrection  (his  death  being  pre- 
supposed), and  is  on  this  account  especially  instructive 
to  us  in  leading  to  right  views  of  the  design  of  the  or- 
dinance,* 

Observe  the  simple  narrative  of  the  Saviour's  bap- 
tism, as  furnished  by  Matthew:  "Then  cometh  Jesus 
from  Galilee  to  Jordan  unto  John,  to  be  baptized  of 
him.  But  John  forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to 
be  baptized  of  thee,  and  coraest  thou  to  me?  And 
Jesus  answering  said  unto  him,  Suifer  it  to  be  so  now; 
for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness. 
Then  he  suffered  him.  And  Jesus,  when  he  was  bap- 
tized, went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water :  and  lo, 
the  heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the 
Spirit  of  God  descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon 
him :   and  lo,  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  my 


*  See  Appendix  B.,  Section  1,  Page  170.  The  reader  is  especially 
urged  to  examine  the  views  of  the  following  authors  on  this  topic, 
viz  :  Hinton,  Witsius,  McKniglit,  Joel  Jones,  Kendrick,  Bengel, 
Conant,  Ford,  Wm.  Jones,  Stier,  Chase,  Smeaton. 


GENERAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.      31 

beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  (Matt,  iii : 
13-17.) 

The  baptism  of  Jesus  was,  by  divine  arrangement, 
the  occasion  of  his  manifestation  to  Israel  as  the  Mes- 
siah. So  John  testifies:  ^'  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said, 
After  me  cometh  a  man  which  is  preferred  before  me; 
for  he  was  before  me.  And  I  knew  him  not ;  but  that 
he  should  be  made  manifest  to  Israel,  therefore  am  I 
come  baptizing  with  water,"     (John  i ;  30,31.) 

John  received  his  commission  to  baptize  "  from 
heaven."  "  But  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water, 
the  same  said  unto  me,"  etc.     (John  i :  33.) 

"  The  word  of  God  came  unto  John,  the  son  of  Zach- 
arias,  in  the  wilderness.  And  he  came  into  all  the 
country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of  re- 
pentance for  the  remission  of  sins;  as  it  is  written  in 
the  book  of  the  words  of  Esaias  the  prophet,  saying, 
The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness.  Prepare  ye 
the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  his  paths  straight."  (Luke 
iii :  2-4)  "  And  he  shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit 
and  power  of  Elias,  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  and  the  disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
just ;  to  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord." 
(Lukei:  17.) 

^'  John  (says  Paul)  verily  baptized  with  the  baptism 
of  repentance,  saying  unto  the  people,  that  they  should 
believe  on  him  which  should  come  after  him ;  that  is, 
on  Christ  Jesus."  (Acts  xix :  4.)  So  it  appears  that 
John  baptized  only  penitent  persons  ^^  confessing  their 


32  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

sins/'  and  professing  faith  in  liira  who  "should  come 
after  him." 

Now,  as  John's  ministry  progressed,  and  "  a  people '' 
were  being  made  ready,  and  ^'  prepared  for  the  Lord,'' 
"  and  as  the  people  were  in  expectation,  and  all  men 
mused  in  their  hearts  of  John,  whetlier  he  were  the 
Christ  or  not,"  and  John's  own  testimony  of  Jesus 
grew  in  intensity  as  he  said,  "  One  mightier  than  I  com- 
eth : "  (Luke  iii  :  16.)  yea,  "  there  standeth  one 
among  you  whom  ye  know  not ;  he  it  is,  who  com- 
ing after  me  is  preferred  before  me,  whose  shoe's 
latchet  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose  : "  (John  i  :  26, 
27.)  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  attended  by  the  super- 
natural proofs  of  his  divine  character  and  mission, 
was  the  crowning  act  of'  John's  baptism,  "  that  he 
should  be  made  manifest  to  Israel."  Not  as  the 
mere  minister,  neither  the  mere  exemplar,  but  as 
« the  Christ,"  "  the  anointed  of  the  Father,"  "  the 
sent' of  God,"  the  God-man  publicly  entering  upon 
his  work  of  mediation  and  redemption,  so  that  John 
could  immediately,  and  from  henceforth  point  to  him 
as  "  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world."     (John  i :  29.) 

The  baptism  of  Jesus  was  also,  by  divine  arrange- 
ment, the  occasion  of  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
testifying  to  his  Sonship  :  "And  John  bare  record, 
saying,  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending  from  heaven  like 
a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him.  And  I  knew  him 
not :  but  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  the 
same  said  unto  me,  Upon  whom   thou  shalt  see  the 


GENEEAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.       33 

Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is 
he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  I 
saw  and  bare  record  that  this  is  the  Sou  of  God/' 
(John  i :  32-34.) 

The  words  spoken  by  the  Father  on  this  w^onderful 
occasion  appear  to  have  a  much  wider  range  of  mean- 
ing than  simply  the  recognition  of  the  purity  and  excel- 
lence of  the  private  life  of  Christ,  the  approval  of  his 
acts  and  exercises,  preliminary  to  the  work  which  he 
had  sent  him  into  the  world  to  perform — indicated  by 
his  words  at  twelve  years  of  age :  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  abont  my  Father's  business?'' — or  even  the 
public  declaration  that  he  was  his  beloved  Son.  Uttered 
in  connection  with  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
him,  and  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  public  act,  when 
he  was  made  manifest  to  Israel  as  the  Messiah ;  they 
appear  in  a  large  measure,  if  not  mainly,  to  respect  his 
great  undertaking.  The  "  meek  and  lowly  Jesus  "  had 
just  '^  come  up  straightway  out  of  the  waters  "  of  Jordan, 
in  which  he  had  been  buried,  and  from  whence  he  had 
arisen.  The  most  unreserved  expression  of  submission 
and  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Father  had  scarcely 
died  away  upon  his  lips — "  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all 
righteousness" — when  the  approving  words  of  the 
Father  were  uttered  in  connection  with  the  testimony 
of  the  descending  Spirit :  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased."  We  are  bound  to  recognize 
the  Son  of  God,  at  this  important  juncture,  as  the  sub- 
ject of  the  most  interesting  prophecies,  and  as  having 
them  fulfilled  in  himself,  either  immediately  or  in  an- 


34  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

ticlpatlon.  Isaiah  appears,  through  the  spirit  of 
prophecy,  to  allude  to  this  very  period,  and  to  express 
the  pleasure  of  the  Father  in  witnessing  the  purpose 
and  work  of  his  Son  foreshadowed  :  "  The  Lord  is  Avell 
pleased  for  his  righteousness'  sake ;  he  will  magnify  the 
law  and  make  it  honorable."  (Isa.  xlii :  21.)  To 
which  may  be  added  the  prophetic  words  of  David  : 
*^  Thou  lovest  righteousness,  and  hatest  wickedness ; 
therefore  God,  thy  God,  hath  anointed  thee  with  the 
oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows.^'  (Ps.  xlv :  7 ; 
quoted  by  Paul,  Heb.  i :  9.)  Again,  Isaiah,  as  if  al- 
luding to  this  very  occasion,  personates  the  Father  as 
saying,  *^  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  uphold  ;  mine 
elect,  in  whom  my  soul  delighteth ;  I  have  put  my 
Spirit  upon  him:  he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to  the 
Gentiles.  He  shall  not  cry,  nor  lift  up,  nor  cause  his 
voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street.  A  bruised  reed  shall 
he  not  break,  and  the  smoking  flax  shall  he  not  quench  : 
he  shall  bring  forth  judgment  unto  truth.  He  shall 
not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  he  have  set  judgment 
in  the  earth ;  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law.'' 
(Isa.  xlii:  1-4;  Matt,  xii :  17-21.)  The  words  of 
Isaiah  in  another  place,  which  were  appropriated  by 
Jesus  shortly  after  entering  publicly  upon  his  work, 
seem  also  appropriate  to  this  connection :  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me ;  because  the  Lord  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  unto  the  meek; 
he  hath  sent  me  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,  to 
proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of 
the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound ;    to  proclaim  the 


GENERAL   OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE   SUBJECT.      35 

acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  and  the  day  of  vengeance 
of  our  God/'  etc.  ,  (Isa.  Ixi :  1,  2 ;  Luke  iv  :  18,  19.) 
While  these  passages  appear  very  definitely  to  refer  to 
this  interesting  period  in  the  work  of  the  Messiah,  they 
very  evidently  have  respect  to  his  great  undertaking. 
By  a  most  significant  symbolic  act,  Jesus  had  fore-  | 
shadowed  the  great  consummating  and  crowning  acts 
of  his  work — his  death  and  resurrection.  He  had  sym- 
bolized his  great  undertaking  as  an  accomplished  fiict, 
and  it  was  doubtless  in  view  of  this  that  the  approving 
words  of  the  Father  were  spoken,  as  it  was  most  cer- 
tainly in  view  of  his  work  that  they  were  uttered  on 
a  subsequent  occasion,  when  the  topic  of  discourse  be- 
tween Jesus  and  Moses  and  Elias,  ^'  who  appeared  in 
glory,''  was  the  "  decease  which  he  should  accomplish 
at  Jerusalem.''     (Matt,  xvii :  5  ;  Luke  ix  :  31.) 

This  sense  of  the  expression  is  entirely  coincident 
with  the  meaning  of  the  Saviour's  words  in  relation 
to  his  baptism:  "For  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill 
all  righteousness." 

It  was  necessary  that  Jesus  should  "  fulfill  all  right- 
eousness." And  this  he  did  actually  in  his  work,  | 
symbolically  in  his  baptism.  "  When  the  fullness  of 
the  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a 
woman,  made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that 
were  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adop- 
tion of  sons."  (Gal.  iv :  4,  5.)  "Being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,"  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  meeting  and 
fuliilliiig  ail  the  claims  of  that  law,  which  "  is  holy 
and  just  and  good ;"  which  is  a  perfect  transcript  of  the'' 


36  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

holy  mind  and  righteous  will  of  God,  and  a  glorious 
testimony  to  the  perfections  of  his  being.  "  To  fulfill 
all  righteousness/^  in  man's  nature,  is  to  fulfill  all  the 
demands  of  a  righteous  law. 

During  the  whole  period  of  his  manifestation  in  the 
flesh,  from  his  incarnation  to  his  crucifixion — by  his 
doctrine,  by  his  spirit,  and  by  all  his  acts — Jesus 
practically  exemplified,  and  set  in  their  highest  and 
clearest  light,  all  the  precepts  of  the  divine  law.  He 
loved  God  supremely,  and  his  neighbor  as  himself. 

His  holy  life  and  character  furnished  the  highest 
possible  sanction  to  the  prohibitions  of  the  law.  "  He 
was  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from  sinners, 
and  made  higher  than  the  heavens.^'  (Heb.  vii :  26.) 
"  He  loved  righteousness  and  hated  iniquity.^'  (Heb. 
i :  9.)  "  Who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in 
his  mouth."  (1  Pet.  ii :  22.)  The  penal  demands  of 
the  divine  law  were  finally  met  and  fully  satisfied  in 
his  death.  By  man  the  law  had  been  broken,  violated, 
dishonored ;  before  he  could  become  partaker  of  "  the 
righteousness  of  the  law,''  it  must  by  one  in  his  own 
nature  be  magnified  and  made  honorable,  and  in  such 
a  way  that  "  the  Lord  should  be  well  pleased  for  his 
righteousness'  sake."  (Isa.  xlii :  21.)  To  redeem  the 
sinner  from  under  "the  curse  of  the  law,"  Christ  must 
be  "  made  a  curse  for  him."  (Gal.  iii  :  13.)  He  must 
die  "to  fulfill  all  righteousness."  His  death  was  the 
consummation  of  that  work  of  righteousness  which 
he  came  to  perform  in  behalf  of  sinners.  It  was  the 
great  culminating  act  of  his  work — that  to  which  he 


GENERAL   OUTLINE  VIEW  OF   THE   SUBJECT.      37 

looked  forward  from  the  beginning,  and  which  he 
styled,  by  'svay  of  preeminence,  his  hour  :  "  But  for 
this  cause  came  I  unto  you  this  hour.^^  (John  xii :  27.) 
It  was  the  grand  finishing  stroke  to  his  work,  in 
anticipation  of  w^hich,  on  the  day  preceding  his  death, 
he  said  in  his  prayer  to  the  Father,  '*  I  have  glorified 
thee  on  the  earth,  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
thou  gavest  me  to  do."  (John  xvii :  4.)  With  his 
expiring  breath,  he  said,  "It  Is  finished."  (John 
xix:30.) 

So  essential  is  the  death  of  Christ  to  the  vindication 
of  the  righteousness  and  majesty  of  the  law,  to  the 
redemption  of  sinners  from  under  its  curse,  to  the  over- 
throw and  destruction  of  the  devil's  kingdom,  and  the 
subordination  of  all  things  to  the  mediatorial  govern- 
ment of  God,  that  it  is  put  for  the  fulfilling  '^  of  all  | 
righteousness. '' 

But  his  death  and  resurrection  were  symbolized  by  I 
his  baptism;  his  baptism,  therefore,  was  a  symbolic 
prefiguratlon  of  the  fulfilling  of  "  all  righteousness." 
And  this  is  evidently  the  meaning  of  his  answer  to 
John :  ^'  For  thus  it  becometh  us  tp  fulfill  all  right- 
eousness." 

The  Greek  particle  translated  "thus,"  in  the  above 
passage,  marks  the  connection  between  the  refusal  of 
John  at  first  to  baptize  Jesus,  and  his  subsequent 
acquiesence  and  submission  to  his  demand.  'T  Is  true, 
the  Lord  said  "  suifer  it  to  be  so  now,"  and  this  would 
have  been  a  reason  for  John^s  acquiesence;  but  he 
proceeds  to  explain  the  reason  why  he  should  suffer  it. 


38  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

"For  thus,"  which  has  all  the  force  and  significance 
of  "  in  this  manner  '^ — that  is,  in  baptism — and  the 
sense  of  the  expression  is :  In  this  ordinance  which  I 
now  authenticate  "it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  right- 
eousness." 

From  another  point  of  view  the  truth  of  this  inter- 
pretation will  be  seen. 

John's  preaching  and  baptism  are  styled  by  Mark  the 
evangelist  "  the  beginning  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God."  (i :  1-5.)  His  doctrine  and  baptism 
alike  related  to  the  Messiah  and  his  work.  He 
received  his  commission  to, baptize  directly  from  God. 
(John  i  :  33.)  It  came  to  him  through  no  channel  of 
legal  ceremonies.  For  aught  that  appears  in  the 
inspired  Word,  or  from  any  authentic  sources  of  in- 
formation, John  was  as  profoundly  ignorant  of  the 
existence  of  Jewish  proselyte  baptism  in  his  time  as 
we  are.  And  if  it  was  practiced,  he  had  as  little  regard 
for  it,  as  for  any  other  "'  tradition  of  the  elders."  His 
baptism  "  was  from  heaven,  and  not  of  men,"  as  is 
evident  from  the  Saviour's  question  put  to  the  chief 
priests  and  scribes.  (Matt,  xxi :  25.)  Was  it  emble- 
matic of  the  moral  purification  of  those  who  "  con- 
fessed their  sins,"  and  professed  to  "  believe  on  him 
who  should  come  after  him,  that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus  ?  " 
It  had  this  significancy  only  as  it  was  institutionally 
related  to  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  him  to  whom 
John  pointed  them,  saying,  "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

It  can  not,  however,  be  alleged  that  the  baptism  of 


GENERAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.      39 

Jesus  at  the  hands  of  John  had  this  significance  in  re- 
spect to  himself.  ^^He  knew  no  sin,'^  but  "was  holy, 
harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners.'^  Neither 
can  it  be  alleged  that  he  submitted  to  baptism  as  an 
obligation  growing  out  of  his  assumed  relation  to  the 
moral  or  ceremonial  law.  They  take  cognizance  of  no 
such  duty.  No  such  command  is  to  be  found  in  the 
whole  range  of  legal  obligation. 

We  must  look  for  it  in  the  comprehensive  will  of 
the  Father,  in  respect  to  the  new  economy,  of  which 
says  Jesus,  "  I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  my 
own  Avill,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.'^  (John 
vi:  38.)  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me,  and  to  finish  his  work.^^  (John  iv  :  34.)  Which 
will,  he  informs  us,  includes  at  least  two  specific  com- 
mands— one  relating  to  his  doctrine,  and  is  thus  ex- 
pressed :  ^'  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  myself,  but  the 
Father  which  sent  me;  he  gave  me  a  commandment, 
what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak.^'  (John 
xii :  49.)  '^  My  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent 
me."  (John  vii :  17.)  The  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament,  in  regard  to  the  import  and  design  of  bap- 
tism, is  a  doctrine.  (Heb.  vi :  2.)  A  part  of  the  doc- 
trine of  which  Jesus  said  he  had  a  commandment  from 
the  Father  to  teach.  The  other  relating  to  his  death 
and  resurrection,  and  is  expressed  as  follows:  "But 
that  the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father;  and 
as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I  do. 
Arise,  let  us  go  hence.  (John  xiv  :  31.)  "Therefore 
doth   my  Father   love   me,  because  I   lay   down   my 


40  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

life,  that  I  might  take  it  again.  No  man  taketh  it 
from  me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  myself.  I  have  power 
to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again. 
This  commandment  have  I  received  of  my  Father." 
(John  x:  17,  18.) 

Every  act  of  Jesus  was  conformable  to  his  doctrine, 
and  in  view  of  his  death  and  resurrection. 

Now,  death  itself  could  have  no  claims  upon  him, 
only  as  he  is  contemplated  in  his  mediatorial  office 
and  work  as  the  Sin-bearer.  If  his  baptism  be  regarded, 
then,  as  an  emblematic  expression  of  his  submission  to 
the  will  of  the  Father,  and,  as  in  his  humiliation,  ac- 
knowledging allegiance  to  God,  it  had  this  signifi- 
cance, because  of  its  symbolic  relation  to  that  greatest 
of  all  displays  of  his  submission — his  ^'  obedience  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross/^  Baptism,  there- 
fore, in  its  primal  institutional  character  as  an  ordi- 
nance, was  the  appointment  of  the  Father,  specifically 
in  view  of  the  mediatorial  office  and  work  of  his 
Son. 

The  chief  object  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus  was,  by  a 
symbolic  act,  at  the  threshold  of  his  great  work,  to 
foreshadow  it;  to  symbolize  the  great  finishing  and 
crowning  acts  of  that  work — his  death  and  resurrec- 
tion:  thus  at  the  beginning  to  make  a  profession  or 
declaration  of  his  work.  And  our  Lord  did  '^  fulfill  all 
righteousness^^ — actually  in  his  work,  symbolically  in 
his  baptism. 

To  detach  the  baptism  of  Jesus  from  his  mediatorial 
office  and  work  is  to  destroy  its  emblematic  character, 


GENEEAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.      41 

to  fritter  away  its  significance,  to  narrow  and  tone  it 
down  to  the  level  of  a  Jewish  ceremonial. 

To  limit  the  sense  of  onr  Lord^s  important  saying 
at  his  baptism  to  the  mere  propriety  of  performing 
every  right  act  (the  most  usual  interpretation  put  upon 
it)  is  to  obscure  the  great  fact  that  his  baptism  belonged 
to  the  new  economy,  and  was  his  first  personal  public 
act  introductory  to  that  economy.  That  it  was,  by 
divine  arrangement,  the  momentous  occasion  of  his 
manifestation  to  Israel  as  the  Messiah,  and  of  his  rec- 
ognition by  the  Father  and  "the  Eternal  Spirit'^  as 
the  anointed  Son  of  God. 

The  tendency  of  this  interpretation  with  the  major- 
ity of  those  who  receive  it  is  to  lead  them  to  separate 
the  ordinance  from  its  doctrinal  relations  in  the  new 
economy,  and  to  search  for  its  original  warrant  among 
the  "  divers  ceremonial  washings,^^  or  the  more  than 
doubtful  claims  of  Jewish  proselyte  baptism. 

This  limitation,  moreover,  restrains,  without  a  just 
warrant,  the  obvious  common-sense  meaning  of  the 
expression,  and  overlooks  the  manifest  reference  in  the 
passage  to  the  representative  character  of  the  Redeemer. 
But  this  leads  us  to  notice  another  member  of  the  sen- 
tence, which  demands  an  attentive  consideration. 

Jesus  associates  his  followers  with  himself  in  this 
matter:  "IThus  it  becometh  us/^  etc.  The  limitation 
of  this  expression  to  our  Lord  and  to  John,  as  in  some 
of  the  interpretations  given  of  the  passage,  appears  faulty 
in  such  particulars  as  utterly  condemn  it.  This  limi- 
tation, associated  with  the  usual  interpretation — '^  Thus 


42  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

it  becometli  you  and  I,  John,  to  perform  every  right 
act  ^'  (baptism,  of  course,  being  a  right  act) — places  John 
in  a  difficulty  from  which  there  is  no  deliverance,  for  it 
can  not  be  shown  that  John  was  ever  baptized  ;  indeed, 
in  the  absence  of  any  intimation  that  he  was,  the  prob- 
abilities amount  almost  to  a  certainty  that  he  was  not. 

Such  a  limitation,  moreover,  seems  altogether  un- 
suited  to  the  importance  of  the  occasion,  and  wholly 
incompatible  with  the  great  ends  contemplated  in  the 
ordinance.  The  only  satisfactory  explanation  of  the 
expression  is  that  which  conforms  to  the  represent- 
ative character  of  the  Saviour,  alluded  to  in  the  passage, 
and  may  be  expressed  in  the  following  terms :  In  this 
ordinance  it  is  fitting  that  I  and  my  followers  should 
^'  fulfill  all  righteousness/'  This  sense  of  our  Lord's 
saying  relieves  John  of  any  difficulty,  does  honor  to 
the  great  occasion  on  which  it  was  spoken,  and  is  har- 
monious throughout  with  the  great  doctrine  of  the 
New  Testament. 

John  was  accounted  as  having  "  fulfilled  all  right- 
eousness,'' when,  by  faith,  he  accepted  Jesus  as  his 
Lord  ;  "  who  of  God,  was  made  unto  him,  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption." 

As  to  baptism,  John's  was  an  exceptional  case.  The 
ordinance  of  baptism  must  needs  have  a  beginning. 
John's  preaching  was  "  the  beginning  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God."  His  baptism  was  the 
beginning  of  that  baptism  which  "  was  from  heaven, 
and  not  of  men ;"  and  he  who  commissioned  and  sent 
him  to  baptize  could  make  his  an  exceptional  case. 


GENERAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.      43 

In  answer  to  the  inquiry,  then,  Who  are  intended  by 
the  "  us  ''  of  the  passage?  Isaiah,  as  a  prophet,  and  Paul 
as  an  expositor,  unite  in  personating  our  Lord  as  say- 
ing, "  Behold,  I  and  the  children  which  God  hath 
given  me/^     (Isa.  viii :  18;  Heb.  ii:  13.) 

Penitent  sinners,  through  faith,  are  made  partakers 
of"  the  righteousness  of  God.^' 

"  But  now  (says  the  apostle)  the  righteousness  of  God 
without  the  law  is  manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the 
law  and  prophets;  even  the  righteousness  of  God 
which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all  and  upon  all 
them  that  believe."  (Rom.  iii:  21,  22)  "  For  Christ 
is  the  end  (fulfilling)  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to 
every  one  that  believeth."  (Rom.  x  :  4.)  "  For  the 
law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me 
free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death.  For  what  the  law 
could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh, 
God  sending  his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh, 
and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh  ;  that  the  right- 
eousness of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk 
not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit."  (Rom.  viii : 
2-4.)  "  He  has  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew 
no  sin;  that  we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of 
God  in  him."     (2  Cor.  v:  21.) 

AVhen  penitent  sinners,  therefore,  believe  on  Jesus 
Christ,  w^ho  is  "  the  Lord  our  righteousness "  (Jer. 
xxiii :  6),  he  '^is  made  unto  them  wisdom,  righteous- 
ness, sanctification,  and  redemption."  (1  Cor.  i :  30.) 
And  they  are  "  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him." 
Their  faith  is  "  counted  for  righteousness  "  (Rom.  iv-:-  5), 


44  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

and  their  baptism,  from  being  a  symbol  of  death  to  sin 
and  life  unto  God,  as  truly  symbolizes  the  fulfilling  of 
"  all  righteousness "  in  them,  as  did  the  baptism  of 
Jesus. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  public  profession  or  declaration  of 
union  with  Christ;  that  through  faith  in  him,  they 
are  clothed  upon  with  '^the  righteousness  of  God;'' 
that  they  have  put  him  on  in  reality  by  faith,  pro- 
fessionally in  baptism,  as  the  source  and  model  of  their 
righteousness,  and  acceptance  with  God. 

Section  2.  This  is  evidently  Paul's  teaching,  when  he 
says,  "  Ye  are  all  the  children  (or  sons)  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized 
into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ."  (Gal.  iii :  26,  27.) 
The  allusion  here  is  to  the  putting  on  of  clothing.  "  The 
righteousness  of  God  which  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ 
unto  all  and  upon  all  them  that  believe  "  (Rom.  iii :  22) 
is  the  spiritual  garment  which  clothes  and  distinguishes 
the  believer  as  a  child  or  son  of  God.  This,  in  reality, 
was  the  great  independent  truth  which  the  apostle  ad- 
dressed to  the  Galatian  Christians,  viz..  That  they  had 
come  into  the  relationship  of  children,  or  sons  of  God 
by  faith,  and  not  by  works  of  the  law.  In  support 
of  this  truth  he  draws  a  practical  argument  from  their 
baptism  :  "  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized 
into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ."  They  '^  were  baptized 
into  Jesus  Christ ;"  i.  e.,  "  baptized  into  his  death," 
"  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into  death;"  "wherein, 
also,  they  were  risen  with  him  through  the  faith  of 
the  operation  of  God,  who  raised  him  from  the  dead.^' 


GENERAL   OUTLINE   VIEW   OF   THE   SUBJECT.     45 

In  this  solemn  burial  and  resurrection  ordinance, 
they  were  symbolically  represented  as  having  put  off 
Moses,  and  having  put  on  Christ ;  as  divesting  them- 
selves of  their  own  righteousness,  which  was  of  the 
law,  and  being  clothed  upon  with  "  the  righteousness 
which  is  of  God,  and  which  Paul  affirms  is  "  upon  all 
them  that  believe/^ 

In  putting  on  Christ  in  baptism,  they  were  also 
symbolically  represented  as  putting  on  the  relationship 
of  sons  of  God,  into  which  they  had  come  through 
faith  in  God's  exalted  Son.  It  was  hence  their  com- 
plete and  comprehensive  profession  of  faith.* 

Section  3.  The  baptism  of  the  believer  is  an  em- 
blematic action,  in  which  his  immersion  into  water, 
from  its  resemblance  to  a  burial,  beautifully  and  forci- 
bly represents  his  faith  in  the  death  of  Christ,  as  a 
proper  and  sufficient  atonement  for  sin.  And  his 
emersion  out  of  the  water,  from  its  resemblance  to  a 
resurrection,  with  equal  beauty  and  force  proclaims  his 
faith  in  the  truth  and  power  of  Christ's  resurrec- 
tion. 

On  these  two  cardinal  doctrines  rests  the  whole  J 
plan  of  redemption.  The  death  of  Christ  is  the  ground  . 
and  procuring  cause  of  the  redemption  of  our  souls 
from  sin.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  secures  the  exe- 
cution of  the  grand  designs  of  his  death,  and  is  the  ground  1 
and  pledge  of  the  ultimate  redemption  of  our  bodies) 
from  the  grave. 


See  Appendix  B,  Section  2,  page  182.  Gill.  Brown,  pf  E(iinburg. 


46  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

On  this  account  the  apostle  represents  them  as  not 
only  furnishing  a  summary  of  the  gospel,  but,  from 
their  fundamental  relations  to  all  other  truths  in  the 
divine  plan,  as  constituting  the  gospel.     (1  Cor.  xv : 

1-4.) 

A  cordial  belief,  therefore,  of  these  doctrines,  in 
their  comprehensive  relations  and  glorious  results,  is  a 
belief  of  the  gospel.  But  baptism  is  a  divinely-appointed 
figure  of  burial  and  resurrection.  It  is,  therefore,  an 
emblematic  representation  of  our  entire  faith  in  the 
gospel  or  in  Christ.* 

Section  4.  Faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
inseparable  with  faith  toward  the  Father  and  the  Holy 
Spirit.  To  believe  in  Christ  is  to  believe  in  God.  And 
the  command  to  baptize  into  the  name  of  Father  and 
Holy  Spirit,  from  their  joint  relation  with  the  Son,  to 
the  plan  of  salvation,  and  their  united  authority  in  the 
appointment  of  this  ordinance,  is  a  reference  to  the  like 
figure  with  baptism  "  into  Christ,"  and  imports  our 
faith  in  and  subjection  alike  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit ;  as  unto  the  "  one  Lord,"  "  whose  we  are,  and 
whom  we  serve."f 

This  is  the  general  view  of  the  import  of  this  ordi- 
nance, in  which  is  comprehended  several  important 
particulars.  Scripturally  analyzed,  they  will  be  seen 
to  fill  up  the  general  outline,  and  more  clearly  to  elu- 


*See  Appendix  B.,  Section  3,  page  183,  J.  Newton  Brown, 
t  See  Appendix  B,  Section  4,  page  184.  Olshausen,  Lynd,  Craw- 
ford, Haynes. 


GENERAL  OUTLINE  VIEW  OF  THE  SUBJECT.      47 

delate  the  whole  subject.  Besides,  the  various  Scripture 
references  to  the  import  of  the  ordinance  must  not  be 
understood  as  pointing  out  so  many  specific  and  varying 
designs,  but  simply  adverting  to  characteristic  features 
of  one  general  design. 

These  several  leading  features  will  be  considered  in 
the  following  chapters. 


CHAPTEE    III. 

FIRST   CHARACTEEISTIC   FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer's  death  to  sin,  and 
consequent  separation  from  the  world. 

Section  1. — Death  to  ASm.— "Know  ye  not  (says 
Paul)  that  so  many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus 
Christ  were  baptized  into  his  death  ?  Therefore  we  are 
buried  with  him  by  baptism  into  death/'  etc.  (Rom. 
vi :  3,  4.)  The  same  fact  he  re-affirms  in  his  epistle  to 
the  Colossians — ii :  12:  "Buried  with  him  in  bap- 
tism/' etc.  In  order  to  apprehend  the  full  bearing  of 
this  reference  to  baptism,  it  must  be  considered  in 
connection  with  the  argument  which  it  is  introduced  to 
illustrate.  Paul  had  been  arguing  the  efficiency  of 
divine  grace  in  the  recovery  of  men  from  the  guilt  and 
ruin  of  sin  ;  had  celebrated  the  superabounding  of 
grace  where  sin  had  abounded,  and  the  supremacy  of 
the  reign  of  grace,  "  through  rigliteousness  unto  eternal 
life,"  where  "  sin  had  reigned  unto  death."  And  lest 
any  should  suppose  that  this  doctrine  afforded  license 
for  the  indjilgence  of  sin,  he  starts  the  inquiry,  "  What 
shall  we  say  then  ?  shall  we  continue  in  sin,  that  grace 
may  abound  ?"  (Eom.  vi :  1.)  He  replies,  "  God 
(48) 


FIRST  CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  49 

forbid.  How  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any 
longer  therein  V^  (Rom.  vi :  2.)  Then  introduces,  in 
the  passage  above  quoted,  his  own  baptism,  and  that 
of  the  believers,  whom  he  addressed  as  furnishing  a 
public  symbolic  representation  of  their  death  to  sin. 

He  expressly  teaches  that,  in  their  baptism,  they 
were  figuratively  put  into  the  grave  along^  with  Christ, 
importing  their  complete  fellowship  and  union  with 
him  in  death.  He  employs  the  most  intense  forms  of 
expression  to  indicate  death  to  sin :  "  Baptized  into 
Christ's  death  ;''  "  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death  ;''  symbolically  declaring,  in  respect  to  Christ, 
that  they  were  partakers  of  his  death ;  in  respect  of 
themselves,  that  they  were  likewise  dead. 

Now,  death  to  sin  includes  a  deadness  to  the  love  of 
it — to  the  lust,  guilt,  and  dominion  of  it;  hence,  nec- 
essarily implies  separation  from  sin:  in  other  words, 
the  pardon,  forgiveness,  or  remission  of  sins.  But  sin 
dwells  in  the  moral  nature,  and  displays  its  vitality  and 
strength  through  the  mortal  members. 

The  death  of  sin,  therefore,  can  only  be  brought 
about  by  moral  causes,  such  as  indicated  by  the  apos- 
tle in  the  scope  of  this  argument,  viz.,  "  The  abound- 
ing and  reigning  of  grace  through  righteousness  unto 
eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.'^  (Rom.  v: 
21.) 

There  is  no  moral  force  or  power  in  the  simple  acfc 
of  baptism  to  bring  about  the  death  of  sin.  Its  high- 
est office,  in  this  respect,  as  an  emblem  of  burial,  is  to 
symbolize  or  declare  a  preexist;ing  moral  conformity  to 
5 


50  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

the  death  of  Christ.  In  respect  of  Christ's  death, 
it  is  affirmed  "  he  died  unto  sin  once  '^  (Rom.  vi:  10); 
'^  and  was  buried  '^  (1  Cor.  xv ;  4),  in  testimony  of 
the  truth  of  his  death. 

We  bury  our  dead,  not  in  order  to  bring  about  or 
procure  their  death  :  this  would  be  unnatural  and  cruel : 
but  simply  because  they  are  dead ;  and  there  is  a  fit- 
ness in  putting  their  dead  bodies  into  the  grave. 

Believers  in  Christ  "are  buried  with  him  by 
baptism  into  death/'  not  in  order  to  bring  about  or 
procure  their  death  to  sin  :  this  would  be  alike  un- 
scriptural  and  unreasonable :  but  because  they  are  dead 
to  sin,  and,  through  faith,  have  fellowship  with  the 
death  of  Christ. 

This  is  the  very  gist  of  the  apostle's  argument  in 
this  place,  which  is  clear  and  triumphant,  on  the  ground 
that  baptism  is  a  solemn  profession  of  death  to  sin.^ 

Section  2.  With  like  significance  does  it  represent 
the  entire  separation  of  believers  from  the  world.  This 
is  the  doctrine  of  Christ  concerning  them  :  "  Ye  are 
not  of  the  world,  bat  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the 
world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  you"  (John 
XV :  19);  "They  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am 
not  of  the  world."     (John  xvii :  16.) 

By  their  subsequent  godly  lives  they  demonstrate 
the  fact  that  they  are  "  the  people  of  God,"  called  out 
and  separate  from  the  world. 


*See  Appendix  C,  Section  1,  page  185.  Carson,  Connybeare  and 
Howson,  Luther,  Matthies,  McKnight,  Lange,  Whitby,  Archbishop 
Tillotson. 


FIRST  CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  51 

Christ  designed  that  this  should  be  foreshadowed 
in  their  profession  of  faith  by  one  of  the  boldest,  most 
impressive,  and  significant  figures  ;  hence  this  burial  in 
baptism— this  symbolic  death — in  which  they  are  "set 
forth,  as  it  were,  a  spectacle  unto  the  workl,  and  to 
angels,  and  to  men  ^^  (1  Cor.  iv  :  9) — appealing  to 
heaven  and  earth  to  witness  the  truth  and  sincerity  of 
their  deadness  to  sin  and  separateness  from  tlie  world. 

Baptism,  as  a  symbol  of  putting  on  Christ,  and  of 
fellowship  with  his  death,  is  the  believer's  public  iden- 
tification with  **  the  offense  of  the  cross."  He  thereby 
makes  a  breach  with  the  world. 

In  primitive  times  it  was  the  signal  of  persecution 
to  the  followers  of  Christ.  It  is  not  unfrequently  the 
case  now.  He  who  witnesses  the  Scripitural  baptism 
of  a  former  companion  in  sin,  who  gives  evidence  of 
"repentance  toward  God"  and  "faith  toward  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  feels  a  consciousness,  and  even  an 
alarming  presentiment,  that  a  signal  breach  is  made 
between  himself  and  his  friend ;  that  he  is  no  longer  of 
his  company  and  companionship,  because  dead  and 
buried  to  him.  In  this  symbolic  burial  there  is  the 
silent  yet  potent  declaration  that  the  world  is  renounced, 
with  all  its  former  sinful  pleasures,  pursuits,  associa- 
tions, and  traditions  of  men  substituted  for  divine  com- 
mands; that  the  offense  of  the  cross  is  embraced,  and 
that  "the  reproach  of  Christ"  is  esteemed  "greater 
riches"  than  all  worldly  considerations. 

In  this  self-same  burial  symbol  the  believer,  by  a 
bold  figure,  places  the  chasm  of  death  between  himself 


62  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

and  the  world.  Nor  can  he  recross  that  chasm  and 
return  *^  to  the  weak  and  beggarly  elements  of  the 
world,"  without  practically  falsifying  his  profession, 
and  in  effect  declaring  non-fellowship  with  Christ. 

The  profession  of  death  to  sin  and  separateness 
from  the  world  is  both  prominent  and  a  most  impor- 
tant feature  in  the  Christian  profession,  and  may  be 
traced  on  almost  every  page  of  the  New  Testament. 
It  was  in  view  of  this  symbolic  import  of  burial  in 
baptism  that  Paul  said  to  the  believers  at  Kome, 
^'  Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be  dead  indeed 
unto  sin '^  (Rom.  vi :  11);  and  to  those  at  Colosse, 
"  Dead  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the  world.'' 
(Col.  ii :  20.) 

It  would  be  a  glorious  triumph  for  Christianity  if, 
in  these  times  of  latitudinarianism  in  respect  to  the 
ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  those  who  "  keep  them  as 
they  were  delivered''  by  Christ  and  the  apostles, 
should,  like  the  primitive  Christians,  in  harmony  with 
the  symbolic  import  of  this  burial  ordinance,  maintain 
a  more  thorough  practical  crucifixion  to  the  world, 
so  that  with  the  apostle  they  could  testify,  saying, 
"  I  die  daily "  (1  Cor.  xv  :  31) ;  "  I  am  crucified 
with  Christ "  (Gal.  ii :  20) ;  ''  By  whom  the  world 
is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world."* 


*  See  Appendix  C,  Section  2,  page  188.  A.  Fuller,  Conant,  Craw- 
ford, Curtis. 


CHAPTEK    ly. 

SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  rising  from  tlie 
death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness  and  holiness. 

Though  closely  allied  to  "  the  Lord's  Sapper,"  in 
the  harmonious  order  of  divine  teaching,  nevertheless 
differs  essentially  from  it  in  import.  "  The  Lord's 
Supper  "  is  strictly  designed  to  be  a  remembrancer  of 
his  death,  and  of  our  necessary  dependence  on  him  for 
the  constant  supplies  of  spiritual  subsistence  (1  Cor. 
xi  :  24,  25,  26,  33) ;  hence  may  with  great  pro- 
priety be  observed  "often,'^  and  should  always  be 
observed  in  concert.  Baptism,  while  commemorative  of 
the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  is  a  declarative  ordinance 
of  individual  application,  and  hence,  once  for  all, 
symbolizes  what  we  are  in  Christ — *^  dead  indeed 
unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God."     (Rom.  vi :  11.) 

The  recognition  of  this  truth  is  of  great  importance. 
It  will  secure  to  us  the  simplicity  and  edification  of 
gospel  teaching  upon  the  subject,  and  will  spare  us  a 
world  of  confusion  and  wearisome  toil  in  the  vain 
attempt  to  force  the  Scriptures  to  teach  what  they 
do  not. 

(53) 


54  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

Section  1.  In  his  letter  to  the  Romans,  the  apostle, 
alluding  to  the  twofold  emblem  in  Baptism,  says, 
"Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead 
by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life."  (Rom.  vi :  4.)  Here  he 
teaches  that  as,  in  baptism,  we  are  figuratively  put  into 
the  grave  along  with  Christ,  importing  that  his  death 
is  ours,  and  in  him  we  die  unto  sin,  so  also  are  we 
figuratively  brought  up  from  the  grave  with  him, 
importing  that  his  resurrection  is  ours,  and  that, 
through  faith  in  him  as  the  risen  Redeemer,  we  live. 

This  is  indeed  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  w^io  says,  "  I 
am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life :  he  that  belleveth  in 
me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  (John 
xi:  25.) 

The  apostle  is  even  more  explicit  on  this  feature  of 
the  design  of  the  ordinance  in  his  letter  to  the  Col- 
losslans,  in  which  he  says,  "Burled  with  him  in  baptism, 
wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  him  through  the  faith 
of  the  operation  of  God,  who  hath  raised  him  from 
the  dead."     (Col.  ii:12.) 

He  here  affirms  of  believers  that  they  "are  risen" 
in  baptism.  This  is  true  physically  in  the  simple  act. 
He  farther  teaches  that  they  "are  risen  with  Christ" 
in  baptism.  This  is  true  emblematically  in  the  simple 
act,  and  spiritually  througli  faith — as  the  apostle 
says,  "through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who 
hath  raised  him  from  the  dead." 

But  faith  is  a  spiritual  exercise.     It  is  of  the  heart: 


SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  65 

"  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness." (Rom.  X :  10.)  It  is  the  product  of  that 
^^  mighty  power  of  God,  which  he  wrought  in  Christ, 
when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,"  and  which  the 
apostle  says  pertains  "to  us- ward  who  believe." 
(Eph.  i:  19,  20.) 

Christ  was  ''  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened 
by  the  Spirit."  (1  Peter  iii :  18.)  "When  we  were 
dead  in  sins,  we  were  quickened  together  with  Christ." 
(Eph.  ii :  5 ;  Col.  ii :  13.) 

Faith  is  the  expression  of  that  life,  which  is  the 
result  of  this  quickening — otherwise  styled  "  The  oper- 
ation of  God."  The  believer  in  baptism,  therefore, 
emblematically  sets  forth  or  declares  that  which  is 
true  only  "through  faith" — namely,  that  he  "is 
risen  with  Christ,"  henceforth  to  2^rosecute  his  life- 
work,  "perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 
(2  Cor.  vii:  1.)  To  any  other  than  to  him  who  is 
quickened  "by  the  mighty  power  of  God,"  or  who 
"believes  to  the  saving  of  the  soul,"  baptism  is  au 
unmeaning  act.  It  furnishes  indeed  the  outward 
symbol,  in  the  absence,  however,  of  the  reality  sym- 
bolized. 

The  apostle,  moreover,  prefaces  this  important 
declaration  by  reminding  "  the  saints  and  faithful 
brethren  in  Christ  at  Colosse  "  that  they  were  "  cir- 
cumcised with  the  circumcision  made  without  hands, 
in  putting  off  the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh  "  (Col. 
ii :  11) — "circumcision  of  the  heart" — so  that  while, 
in  their  baptism,  they  "  were  buried  with  Christ,"  in 


56  DESIGN   OP  BAPTISM. 

token  of  leaving  "  the  old  man  '^  of  "  the  body  of 
sins  ^^  in  the  grave,  they  were  also  "  risen  with  him/' 
in  token  of  the  coming  forth  of  "the  new  man/' 
**  through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God."  Hence- 
forth pledged  "  to  walk  in  newness  of  life/'  and  to 
bear  "fruit  unto  holiness." 

He  continues  his  exhortation,  with  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  inspiriting  allusion  to  the  symbolic  import  of 
their  baptism:  "If  ye  then  be  risen  with  Clirist  (which 
in  baptism  you  profess),  seek  those  things  wliich  are 
above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  tlie  right  hand  of  God. 
Set  your  affections  on  things  above,  not  on  things 
on  the  earth.  For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God."     (Col.  iii :  1-3.)* 

Section  2.  The  death  and  resurrection  of  our  Lord, 
are,  by  way  of  preeminence,  styled  the  Gospel  (1  Cor. 
XV :  1-4);  also  the  Doctrine  of  Christ  (Heb.  vi :  1 ; 
2  John  ix.) — that  doctrine  of  which  the  apostle  said 
he  was  determined  to  know  nothing  else  among  men. 
They  constitute  in  the  gospel-system  that  grand  focal 
center  to  which  all  the  lines  of  divine  truth  converge, 
and  that  foundation-stone  upon  which  the  whole  plan 
of  salvation  rests.  Moreover,  they  are  the  ground, 
and  occasion  of  the  twofold  emblem  in  baptism, 
which  is  explained  to  be  a  figurative  burial  and 
rising  with  Christ,  in  which,  also,  believers  are  said 
to  be  "  baptized  into  "  and  to  have  "  put  him  on." 


*  Appendix  D,  Section  1,  page  190.    McKniglit,  Tyndale,  Chal- 
mers, Crawford. 


SECOND   CHAEACTEEISTIC   FEATURE.  57 

We  assume  it,  then,  as  a  first  principle  in  the  inter- 
pretation of  those  Scriptures  ^vhich  relate  to  the  doc- 
trinal import  and  design  of  the  ordinance,  that  every  such 
reference  must  have  its  explanation  in  harmony  with 
this  doctrine.  Inattention  to  the  importance  of  this 
principle  has  given  rise  to  many  erroneous  interpreta- 
tions and  to  the  propagation  of  dangerous  errors. 
Before  we  proceed,  therefore,  to  notice  certain  passages 
which  stand  related  to  this  part  of  our  subject,  and 
others,  also,  which  have  been  erroneously  confounded 
with  it,  we  will  endeavor  to  have  prominently  before 
our  minds  the  great  doctrine  of  ^'  Christ  and  him  cru- 
cified." 

The  prophet  Zechariah  foretold  the  death  of  Christ 
in  its  redemptive  fullness  and  sufficiency  under  the 
figure  of  a  fountain  :  ^^  In  that  day  there  shall  be  a 
fountain  opened  to  the  house  of  David,  and  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Jerusalem,  for  sin  and  uncleanness." 
(Zech.  xiii :  1.) 

The  provisions  of  salvation  shadowed  forth  by  this 
figure  are  most  graphically  pictured  to  us  in  the  words 
of  the  Saviour  and  the  inspired  writers  of  the  New 
Testament.  Let  it  be  observed,  however,  that  the 
blood  of  Christ  is  often  put  for  the  entire  doctrine  of 
his  death,  agreeably  to  the  word  of  God  spoken  to 
Moses  :  "  For  the  life  of  the  flesh  is  in  the  blood  ;  and 
I  have  given  it  to  you  upon  the  altar  to  make  an  atone- 
ment for  your  souls  :  for  it  is  the  blood  that  maketh  an 
atonement  for  the  soul  "  (Lev.  xvii :  11);  in  accord- 
ance w^ith  which  Paul  says,  '^And  almost  all  things 


58  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

are  by  the  law  purged  with  blood  ;  and  without  shed- 
ding of  blood  is  no  remission.'^     (Heb.  ix  :  23.) 

Jesus,  when  he  instituted  the  memorials  of  his  death — 
in  anticipation  of  that  event,  having  taken  the  cup 
and  given  thanks — said,  "  For  this  is  my  blood  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.^^  (Matt,  xxvi :  28.)  Here  we  have  the 
fountain  of  Zechariah  ;  and  in  respect  of  its  fullness 
and  sufficiency,  the  following  Scriptures,  selected  from 
among  a  great  many  more  to  the  same  purport,  will 
abundantly  show. 

Notice,  first,  those  which  represent  the  blood  of 
Christ  as  a  fountain,  or  figurative  ])ath,  in  which  the 
soul  is  washed  and  cleansed  from  the  pollution  of  sin : 

"  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  own  blood."     (Rev.  i :  5.) 

^^  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation, 
and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb."     (Rev.  vii :  14.) 

"And  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."     (1  John  i :  7.) 

Second,  those  which  represent  it  as  the  price  of  re- 
demption and  ground  of  forgiveness  : 

"  Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not  redeemed 
with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold,  from  your 
vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  your 
fathers;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a 
Iamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot."  (1  Pet.  i : 
18,  19.) 

"  In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his  blood, 


SECOND    CHARACTEEISTIC   FEATUEE.  59 

the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of  his 
grace.^^     (Eph.  i :  7.)     And  again  : 

^'  In  whom  we  have  redemption  throngh  his  blood, 
even  the  forgiveness  of  sin."     (Coh  i :   14.) 

Third,  those  which  represent  it  as  the  ground  of  justi- 
fication, in  view  of  complete  satisfaction  rendered  to 
divine  hiw : 

'^  Being  justified  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  re- 
demption that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  :  whom  God  hath  set 
forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to 
declare  his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that 
are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God;  to  declare, 
I  say,  at  this  time  his  righteousness:  that  he  might  be 
just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in  Jesus.^' 
(Rom.  iii:  24-26.) 

"iMuch  more  then,  being  now  justified  by  his  blood, 
we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath  through  him."  (E,om. 
v:  9.) 

Fourth,  those  which  represent  it  as  the  ground  of 
sanctification  : 

'^  Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  he  might  sanctify  the 
people  with  his  own  blood,  suffered  without  the  gate." 
(Heb.  xiii:  12.) 

"  By  the  which  will  we  are  sanctified  through  the 
offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once  for  all." 
(Heb.x:  10.) 

^^  For  by  one  offering  he  hath  perfected  forever  them 
that  are  sanctified."     (Heb.  x  :   14.) 

Fifth,  those  which  represent  it  as  the  ground  of 
adoption  and  citizenship  in  Zion  : 


60  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

"But  when  the  fullness  of  the  time  was  come,  God 
sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the 
law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under  the  law,  that  we 
might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons/'     (Gal.  iv :  4-6.) 

"  But  now,  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  sometime  were 
far  off  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ/'  (Eph. 
ii:  13.) 

"  Now  therefore  ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  for- 
eigners, but  fellow  citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the 
household  of  God.''     (Eph.  ii :  19.) 

The  above  passages  of  Scripture  are  so  clear  and 
pointed  that  comment  is  rendered  unnecessary.  Their 
testimony  to  the  fullness  and  sufficiency  of  the  blood 
of  Christ  is  univocal.  They  not  only  explain  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  but  invest  his  figure  with  great 
beauty  and  significance. 

Based  upon  this  New  Testament  doctrine,  and  sug- 
gested by  the  text  of  the  prophet,  the  poet  has  penned 
that  beautiful  stanza  sung  witli  such  rapture  and  de- 
light by  multitudes  of  experimental  Christians  : 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood, 
Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins  ; 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains."  — Cowper. 

With  this  doctrine  well  kept  in  mind,  we  will  pro- 
ceed to  examine  certain  passages  of  Scripture  which 
have  been  improperly  confounded  with  baptism,  the 
several  erroneous  interpretations  of  which  have  greatly 
perplexed  the  whole  subject. 


SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC    FEATURE.  61 

Section  3.  The  following  expositions,  therefore,  are 
offered  as  an  humble  contribution  to  the  removal  of 
that  perplexity,  and  also  to  the  clearer  development  of 
the  doctrinal  basis  on  which  other  passages  must  of 
necessity  be  interpreted,  which  do  positively  relate  to 
the  ordinance,  and  to  that  special  feature  of  the  subject 
now  under  consideration. 

AYe  will  notice  first  the  words  of  Paul  addressed  to 
the  Corinthian  Christians  :  '^  And  such  were  some  of 
you  :  but  ye  are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye 
are  justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the 
Spirit  of  our  God/^     (1  Cor.  vi :  11.) 

The  phrase  "ye  are  washed  ^^  has  by  some  commen- 
tators, and  by  other  writers  and.  speakers,  been  referred 
to  baptism.  There  is,  however,  nothing  in  the  context 
which  indicates  that  the  apostle  had  even  the  remotest 
allusion  to  the  ordinance  in  this  passage.  He  is  here 
contrasting  the  present  moral  state  of  the  Corinthian 
Cliristians  with  their  former.  He  had  said  that 
"  Neither  fornicators,  idolaters,  adulterers,  effeminate, 
abusers  of  themselves  with  mankind,  thieves,  covetous, 
drunkards,  revilers,  nor  extortioners,  shall  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God '^  (1  Cor.  vi  :  9,  10);  then  adds: 
"  And  such  were  some  of  you  :  but  ye  are  washed," 
etc.  If  we  inquire  from  what  were  they  washed,  the 
unmistakable  reference  in-  the  immediate  context  to 
their  former  corrupt  lives  will  supply  the  requisite  an- 
swer— namely.  From  the  pollution  of  sin.  And  if  we 
inquire  how  and  by  whom  were  they  washed  from 
the  pollution  of  sin,  the  text  itself  will  furnish  an  in- 


62  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

fallible  answer — namely,  "  In  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 

By  metonymy,  "  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  is  sometimes 
put  for  his  saving  power;  as  when  Peter  says,  ^' And 
his  name,  through  faith  in  his  name,  hath  made  this 
man  strong."  (Acts  iii :  16.)  Sometimes  for  the  en- 
tire provision  of  salvation  through  him ;  as  when  the 
same  apostle  says,  ''jS^either  is  there  salvation  in  any 
other  :  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven, 
given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved. '^  (Acts 
iv  :  12.)  But  sometimes  also  for  the  atonement  through 
his  blood;  as  when  Peter  rehearses  the  testimony  of 
the  prophets :  '^  To  him  give  all  the  prophets  witness, 
that  through  his  name  whosoever'  believeth  in  him 
shall  receive  remission  of  sins."     (Acts  x  :  43.) 

Here  Ave  have  "  remission  of  sins  "  through  "  the 
name  of  the  Lord."  But  we  have  remission  throuoh 
his  blood,  as  Jesus  says  himself:  "This  is  my  blood 
of  the  New  Testament,  which  is  shed  for  many  for  the 
remission  of  sins "  (Matt,  xxvi :  28);  and,  as  Paul 
says,  "  In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."     (Col.  i :  14.) 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  "the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,"  in  the  passage  before  us,  is  put  for  his  redemp- 
tive work,  or  the  gracious  provision  for  moral  purifica- 
tion through  his  blood ;  and  the  Corinthian  Christians 
were  washed  from  their  sins,  in  the  blood  of  Christ, 
"  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God." 

This,  then,  is  the  doctrine  of  the  text :  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  administrative  agent  in  washing  sinners 


SECOND   CHARACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  63 

from  the  pollution  of  sin,  in  sanctifying,  or  cleansing 
them  from  the  love  of  sin,  and  in  justifying,  or 
delivering  them  from  the  guilt  and  dominion  of  sin, 
through  the  blood  of  Christ. 

Here  we  have  the  fountain  of  Zechariah  "opened 
for  sin  and  uncleanness,^^  and  the  Holy  Spirit  admin- 
istering the  blessings  which  accrue  therefrom. 

By  express  declaration,  the  Holy  Spirit  administers 
the  ^Yashing  of  the  text ;  but  he  never  did  administer 
literal  or  water  baptism.  Baptism,  therefore,  is  not  in 
the  passage,  and  can  not  be  put  into  it  without  mar- 
ring its  beauty  and  subverting  the  Scriptural  order  of 
doctrine  in  the  plan  of  salvation. 

The  text  itself  is  one  of  those  beautiful  epitomes  of 
gospel  doctrine  which  abound  in  the  writings  of  the 
New  Testament.  It  is  a  concise  doctrinal  statement 
of  the  plan  of  salvation. 

Commentators,  therefore,  and  writers  on  both  sides 
of  the  baptismal  question,  who  have  assumed  it  as  a 
reference  to  baptism,  have  done  so  upon  altogether 
insufficient  evidence.  Indeed,  so  far  as  our  observation 
extends,  they  appear  mainly  to  have  taken  it  for 
granted,  upon  the  ground  of  parallelism  with  the 
the  noted  passage  in  Paul's  letter  to  Titus.  This 
important  passage  we  will  now  proceed  to  notice. 
The  parallelism  of  the  two  passages  we  freely  admit, 
but  affirm  it  on  other  and  higher  grounds  than  that 
of  a  reference  to  baptism :  "  Xot  by  works  of  right- 
eousness which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his 
mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and 


64  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Titus  iii:  5.)  Identity 
of  the  same  great  doctrinal  truths,  and  of  the  moral 
condition  of  the  persons  or  characters  referred  to  in  the 
immediate  context,  constitutes  the  parallelism  of  the  two 
passages.     A  brief  analysis  of  the  latter  wnll  show  this. 

The  doctrine  of  the  text  is  here  presented  under  two 
distinct  specifications. 

The  first  relates  to  the  motives  or  considerations  in 
the  mind  of  God  which  influence  him  to  save  sinners : 
^^jS'ot  by  works  (or  acts)  of  righteousness  wdiich  we 
have  done,  but  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us." 
We  have  a  confirmation  of  this,  in  tlie  language  of  the 
same  apostle,  in  relation  to  the  same  subject,  in  Ephesians 
ii :  4,  5,  where  he  says,  ''  But  God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy, 
for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us;  even  when 
we  were  dead  in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  together  w^ith 
Christ,  (by  grace  ye  are  saved.)  It  is,  therefore, 
clearly  taught,  that  in  accordance  with  '^  the  kindness 
and  love  of  God  our  Saviour  toward  man,"  displayed 
in  his  work  of  redemption,  sinners  are  saved  accord- 
ing to  rich  undeserved  mercy,  and  not  in  consideration 
of  their  own  works. 

The  second  specification  relates  to  the  plan  of 
salvation — ^'By  the  washing  of  regeneration  and  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Spirit." 

"  The  washing  of  regeneration  "  is  that  which  is  in 
controversy.  What  is  indicated  by  the  phrase  ?  Is  it  a 
work  of  the  sinner,  or  is  it  a  work  of  the  Saviour? 
Is  it  "  the  doctrine  of  baptism  "  referred  to,  or  is  it  a 
doctrine  of  grace  displayed  in  the  sinner^s  salvation? 


SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC  FEATUEH.  65 

The  following  considerations  will  show.  Like  the 
passage  previously  commented  on,  this  al^^o  is  a  con- 
cise doctrinal  statement  of  the  plan  of  salvation.  The 
doctrine  of  the  two  passages  is  identical,  and  the 
moral  condition  of  the  persons  or  characters  referred 
to  in  the  immediate  context  is  the  same  ;  and  in  this, 
as  before  stated,  consists  the  parallelism  of  the  two. 

The  apostle,  speaking  of  his  own  and  the  former 
sinful  state  of  his  brethren,  says,  ''  For  we  ourselves  also 
were  sometime  (formerly)  foolish,  disobedient,  deceived, 
serving  divers  lusts  and  pleasures,  living  in  malice  and 
envy,  hateful,  and  hating  one  another  "  (Titus  iii :  3) ; 
*^  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of  God  our 
Saviour  toward  man  appeared.^'  (4.)  '^He  saved  us," 
according  to  his  own  rich  mercy,  and  not  in  consideration 
of  our  works.  But  this  respects  the  divine  rule  of  saving. 

^'  By  the  washing  of  regeneration  and  renewing  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,"  respects  the  divine  plan  or  method  of  sav- 
ing sinners.  "  The  washing  of  regeneration,"  both  phil- 
ologically  and  doctrinally  considered,  stands  for  one  of 
the  two  great  distinguishing  features  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion. Priority  of  position  is  given  it  in  the  divine  plan 
— not  by  accident ;  there  are  no  accidents  with  the  spirit 
of  inspiration — but  as  indicating  the  ground  upon  which 
"the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit"  proceeds.  This 
appears  from  what  immediately  follows  :  "  Which  he 
shed  on  us  abundantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Saviour."     (Titus  iii  :  6.) 

The  washing  of  regeneration  figuratively  expresses 
the  purification  of  the  soul  through  the  blood  of  Christ ; 
6 


66  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

hence  points  to  the  basis  on  which  the  quickening  or 
"  renewing  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ^^  proceeds ;  and  this 
agrees  with  the  teaching  of  the  Saviour  in  regard  to 
the  work  of  the  Spirit,  who  says,  *^He  shall  testify 
(bear  witness)  of  me "  (John  xv :  26) ;  "  He  shall 
not  speak  of  himself;  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear, 
that  shall  he  speak  ^^  (John  xvi :  13) ;  ^'  He  shall  glorify 
me :  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  shew  it 
unto  you/^     (John  xvi :  14.) 

The  Holy  Spirit,  in  giving  ^^a  new  heart"  and 
communicating  "  a  new  spirit,"  or  in  recreating  the 
soul  '^  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,"  proceeds 
upon  the  ground  of  the  atonement  by  Jesus  Christ; 
hence  bears  witness  of  him. 

It  is  evident,  then,  from  the  plain  unambiguous 
statement  of  the  text  itself  that  the  sinner  is  saved 
in  part,  at  least,  and  that  in  a  most  essential  part, 
"  by  the  washing  of  regeneration." 

But  suppose  this  to  be  baptism,  what  then  follows? 
Baptism  is  enjoined  upon  the  believer  only.  The 
baptism  of  the  believer  is  the  fulfilling  of  righteous- 
ness— an  expression  of  ^'  the  obediences  of  faith."  In 
other  words,  it  is  an  act  or  work  of  righteousness 
which  he  does ;  and,  according  to  the  foregoing 
premise,  he  is  saved  in  part,  at  least,  and  that  in  a 
most  essential  part,  by  a  work  of  righteousness  which 
he  has  done.  But  this  is  contradictory  of  the  plain 
letter  of  the  text :  "  the  washing  of  regeneration," 
therefore,  can  not  be  baptism ;  but  as  one  of  the  two 
great  distinguishing  features  of  the  plan  of  salvation,  it 


SECOND   CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  67 

is  alleged  to  be  effected  in  accordance  with  the  rich 
undeserved  mercy  of  a  kind  and  loving  Saviour;  we 
will  therefore  let  Revelations  i :  5,  ans^Yer  what  it  is : 
"Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our 
sins  in  his  own  blood.^^ 

Here  is  a  washing,  through  rich  undeserved  mercy, 
in  the  '^fountain  opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness,^^  and 
not  in  "  the  baptismal  font."  The  Holy  Spirit,  more- 
over, is  the  administrator  of  this  washing,  and  not  ^'  a 
man  of  like  passions  with  ourself:"  ''But  ye  are 
washed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the 
Spirit  of  our  God."     (1  Cor.  vi :  11.) 

Section  4.  The  washing  from  sin,  however,  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  is  not  literah  His  blood  is. put  for 
the  procurative  and  saving  efficacy  of  his  mediatorial 
and  redeeming  work.  Moreover,  it  is  the  spirit,  or 
moral  nature,  of  the  sinner  which  is  cleansed.  It  is 
evident,  therefore,  that  words  are  employed  in  a 
figurative  sense  to  convey  to  our  minds  the  truth  in 
relation  to  the  sinner's  moral  purification. 

Here  is  a  great  fundamental  principle  in  the  ])hi- 
losophy  of  knguage,  and  it  is  involved  in  this  discussion. 
In  pursuing,  therefore,  the  line  of  investigation 
before  us,  and  especially  in  the  interpretation  of 
certain  portions  of  Scripture  bearing  upon  the  subject, 
we  shall  perceive  the  necessity  of  recognizing  and 
acknowledging  this  principle — namely,  that  words, 
with  their  characteristic  signification  in  common  use, 
are  often  figuratively  employed  in  the  Scriptures  to 
represent    moral    operations    and    effects,    when    the 


68  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

natural  operations  and  results  to  "which  those  words 
ordinarily  relate  are  in  nowise  referred  to.  This 
principle  we  will  illustrate  by  examples  both  from 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  Take  an  example  or 
two  of  the  use  of  the  word  "  wash,"  for  instance,  in  the 
fifty-first  Psalm,  second  and  seventh  verses :  "  Wash 
me  thoroughly  from- mine  iniquity,"  etc.;  and  again, 
*^  AYash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow."  We 
intuitively  perceive  that  the  word  is  used  with  refer- 
ence to  a  moral  operation  and  a  moral  effect.  Take 
an  example  from  the  New  Testament :  '^  If  I  wash 
thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me."  (John  xiii :  8.) 
Peter  had  used  the  word  literally,  referring  to  an  out- 
ward application  to  his  own  person :  "Thou  shalt  never 
wash  my  feet."  Jesus  employs  it  in  its  characteristic 
signification,  figuratively  ap{)lying  it  to  the  moral 
being — '^  thee" — and  in  relation  to  a  moral  work  by 
which  Peter  was  constituted  a  "  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature :  "  "  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part 
with  me." 

The  same  law  of  figurative  language  is  seen  in  the 
use  of  the  word  clean  and  its  correlatives.  Take  an 
example  from  the  same  prayer  of  David  in  the  fifty- 
first  Psalm,  tenth  verse :  "  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart, 
O  God."  Take  one  also  from  the  nineteenth  Psalm, 
twelfth  verse :  "Cleanse  thou'^me  from  secret  faults," 
The  words  clean,  and  cleanse,  in  the  above  passages, 
by  a  figurative  application,  denote  a  moral  result  and 
a  moral  operation.  The  natural  process  and  result  of 
cleansing    material    substances    by  washing    them    iu 


SECOND  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE.  69 

water,  though  not  referred  to,  the  mind  intuitively 
grasps  as  forming  the  basis  of  the  figure. 

This  is  a  beauty  in  the  figurative  use  of  words, 
"We  will  take  an  example  of  the  use  of  this  word 
from  the  Kew  Testament:  "Now  ye  are  clean 
through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you." 
(John  XV :  3.)  Moral  purity  is  certainly  that  which 
the  Saviour  here  ascribes  to  his  disciples.  He  points 
out  the  moral  element  by  which  it  is  brought  about — 
namely,  "  Through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken 
unto  you."  It  is  manifest,  then,  that  in  declaring  his 
disciples  "clean,"  he  does  not  so  much  as  allude  to 
cleanliness  of  their  persons,  or  to  the  material  element 
by  which  such  cleanliness  is  brought  about. 

AVe  go  farther,  in  illustration  of  this  principle,  and 
affirm  that  the  term  "  water  "  itself  is  figuratively  em- 
ployed in  the  Scriptures  to  represent  a  moral  element, 
with  its  moral  operations  and  effects,  when  the  material 
element  of  which  it  is  the  designating  title,  with  its 
applications  and  uses,  religious  or  otherwise,  is  not  re- 
ferred to  only  as  it  is  intuitively  perceived  to  be  the 
basis  of  the  figure  We  will  take  an  example  in  the 
following  quotation  from  Isaiah  xliv :  3-6  ;  "  For  I 
will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods 
upon  the  dry  ground ;  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy 
seed,  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring :  and  they 
shall  spring  up  as  among  the  grass,  as  willows  by  tlie 
water-courses.  One  shall  say,  I  am  the  Lord^s ;  and 
another  shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Jacob ;  and 
another  shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord, 


70  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

and  surname  liimself  by  the  name  of  Israel/'  Here 
we  have  a  prophetic  aniiomicement  of  the  wonderful 
provisions  of  salvation  through  the  work  of  the  Re- 
deemer. However  applicable  this  prophecy  may  have 
been  to  former  periods,  it  certainly  has  its  more  extended 
fulfillment  in  gospel  times.  That  the  term  "  water/^  in 
its  figurative  use,  and  spiritual  designation  in  this 
passage  relates  to  the  provisions  of  salvation  through 
Christ,  will  appear  from  the  explanatory  words  of  the 
same  prophet.  After  prophetically  delineating  with 
great  accuracy  and  minuteness  the  sufferings  and  death 
of  the  Kedeemer,  and  the  glorious  provisions  of  salva- 
tion through  his  atonement,  he  breaks  forth  in  the 
following  strain  of  invitation  and  encouragement : 
"Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters, 
and  he  that  hath  no  money  ;  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea, 
come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money,  and  without 
price."  (Isa.  Iv :  1-3.)  This  explanatory  use  of  the 
word  is  abundantly  confirmed  by  the  Saviour,  and  the 
writers  of  the  New  Testament ;  "  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying:  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me, 
and  drink  '^  (John  vii :  37) ;  and  to  the  woman  of 
Samaria :  "  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who 
it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give  me  to  drink  ;  thou  wouldest 
have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee 
living  water.''     (John  iv  :  10.) 

John  says :  ''  He  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of 
life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  the  Lamb.''     (Rev.  xxii :  1.) 

It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  the  term  water  is  employed 


SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  71 

figuratively,  to  represent  the  abundant  spiritual  bless- 
ings which  flow  from  the  atonement  of  Christ. 

As  a  natural  or  material  element  it  is  not  referred  to. 
It  is,  however,  in  accommodation  to  the  idea  of  the 
natural  fall  of  rain,  whether  in  copious  showers,  or 
torrents  upon  a  thirsty  land  and  a  famishing  people, 
said  to  be  poured  out :  "  I  will  pour  water  upon  him 
that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground/^  in- 
dicating the  all-sufficiency  of  the  provisions  of  salvation 
through  the  atonement  of  Christ. 

Before  leaving  this  passage,  which  was  summoned  as 
an  example  of  the  figurative  use  of  the  term  water, 
we  will  notice  other  things  contained  in  it,  which  are 
of  collateral  interest  to  this  discussion. 

The  fruit  of  Christ's  work,  figuratively  represented 
by  water,  is  here  associated  with  the  work  of  the  Spirit : 
"I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods 
upon  the  dry  ground.  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy 
seed,  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring.^'  Here,  as 
in  1  Cor.  vi :  11,  and  Titus  iii :  5,  priority  of  position 
is  assigned  it  in  the  divine  plan  of  saving,  because  the 
atonement  of  Christ  is  the  ground  upon  which  the 
w^ork  of  the  Spirit  proceeds.  This,  we  also  propose 
showing,  is  the  relative  position  of  the  terms  in  the 
much-disputed  passage  in  John  iii :  5. 

As  further  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  exposition,  it 
will  be  observed  that  we  have  also  a  statement  of  the 
result  or  fruit  of  the  joint  harmonious  work  of  Christ 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  beautiful  figurative  reference 
to  the  multitude  of  the  redeemed :   ^^  And  they  shall 


72  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

spring  up  as  among  the  grass,  as  willows  by  the  water- 
courses.^^ Also  a  reference  to  the  fact  that  they  should 
be  heartily  disposed  to  make  a  public  profession  of 
religion  :  "  One  shall  say  I  am  the  Lord's,  and  another 
shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Jacob;  and  another 
shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  sur- 
name himself  by  the  name  of  Israel. ''  Now,  this 
result  is  seen  in  such  New  Testament  records  as  the 
following : 

*^  But  the  word  of  God  grew  and  multiplied."  (Acts 
xil:  24.) 

"  And  believers  were  the  more  added  to  the  Lord, 
multitudes  both  of  men  and  women.''     (Acts  v  ;  14.) 

''  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  prevailed.'' 
(Acts  xix :  20.) 

We  will  now  take  an  example  of  the  figurative  use 
of  the  word  from  the  New  Testament: 

"  Christ  also  loved  the  church,  and  gave  himself  for 
it ;  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  word."     (Eph.  v  :  25,  26.) 

The  rendering  of  this  passage  in  the  revised  version 
more  definitely  expresses  the  true  sense : 

"That  he  might  sanctify  it,  having  cleansed  it  by 
the  bathing  of  water  in  the  word."  The  church  is 
here  said  to  be  cleansed  "  by  the  bathing  of  water." 
"The  word,"  however,  and  not  water,  is  the  element 
in  which  the  bathing  takes  place,  ^yater,  as  an  ele- 
ment, is  not  in  the  passage.  "  The  bathing  of  water" 
is  simply  a  figurative  phrase,  denoting  the  process  of 
moral  cleansing  through  the  word. 


SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  73 

This  is,  indeed,  the  doctrine  of  our  Saviour  when  he 
says,  "Now  are  ye  clean  through  the  word  which  I 
have  spoken  unto  you."  (John  xv:  3.)  The  fore- 
going examples  will  sufficiently  illustrate  the  principle 
that  words  are  often  figuratively  employed  in  the 
Scriptures  to  represent  spiritual  things,  when  the  nat- 
ural things,  to  which  those  words  ordinarily  relate  are 
not  referred  to,  only  as  the  mind  intuitively  perceives 
them  to  be  the  basis  of  the  figure.  This  we  have  found 
especially  true  in  relation  to  the  use  of  the  term  water, 
which,  in  a  multitude  of  passages,  is  figuratively  put  for 
the  provisions  of  salvation  through  the  atonement  of 
Christ ;  because,  as  a  natural  or  material  element  sup- 
plying and  satisfying  natural  thirst,  it  beautifully  and 
aptly  represents  the  moral  and  spiritual  element  which 
supplies  and  satisfies  the  higher  wants  of  the  soul. 
Moreover,  the  terms  expressive  of  its  applications,  pro- 
cesses, and  results,  as  an  element  for  cleansing  material 
substances,  are  figuratively  put  for  the  processes  and 
results  of  moral  cleansing  ascribed  to  the  blood  of 
Christ, 

But  there  is  no  literal  cleansing  from  sin  in  the 
blood  of  Christ.  His  blood  shed  for  us ;  literally  con- 
templated, was  not  a  moral  element ;  it  was  as  truly  a 
material  substance,  as  the  blood  of  any  other  man. 

It  is  the  truth  concerning  Christ  and  his  great  work 
of  redemption,  which,  in  a  specific  sense,  is  styled  "  the 
word,"  "  the  word  of  truth,"  ^'  the  word  of  reconcilia- 
tion," "the  word  of  life,"  which  is  the  moral  element 
representing  his  blood*     Hence,  also,  water  is  tropi- 


74  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

cally  put  for  *'the  word/'  as  it  is  for  tlie  provisions  of 
salvation  which  that  word  unfokls. 

Now  that  the  word  of  Christ  is  the  moral  element 
representing  his  blood,  is  happily  illustrated  in  the 
heartfelt  experience  of  the  penitent  sinner.  He  has  no 
such  experience  as  that  of  a  literal  washing  in  the 
blood  of  Christ ;  neither  yet  a  literal  cleansing  in  the 
word  of  Christ,  but  has  a  consciousness  and  happy 
realization  of  the  fact,  that  however  inexplicable  to 
himself,  the  truth  was  caused  to  penetrate  his  heart  as 
it  did  those  on  the  day  of  pentecost — to  permeate  his 
moral  being,  and  to  overwhelm  him  with  its  convicting 
power,  under  a  sense  of  guilt,  ruin,  and  helplessness 
in  sin. 

And,  that,  equally  inexplicable  to  himself,  while 
bathed  in  contrition,  self-abasement  and  self-renuncia- 
tion, comparable  to  death,  he  received  such  a  renewal 
of  his  spirit,  that,  "  through  the  faith  of  the  operation 
of  God,''  he  was  enabled  to  rise  up  from  that  state, 
rejoicing  "  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God."  This 
was  passing  from  death  unto  life.  The  Scriptures  style 
it  a  birth.  It  bears  the  lineaments  of  the  two  great 
distinctive,  harmonious  features  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion; doctriually  stated  in  the  leading  passages  ex- 
plained— namely,  moral  purity  through  the  truth  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  a  moral  element  representing 
his  blood ;  and  spiritual  life  "  through  faith — "  bearing 
the  impress  of  the  quickening  spirit.  Hence,  ^^  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  and  belief  of  the  truth." 
(2  Thess.  ii :  13.) 


SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  75 

But,  while  the  Scriptures  style  it  a  birth,  they  desig- 
nate it  according  to  the  standpoint  from  which  the  ele- 
ment and  agency  employed  in  its  production  are  viewed. 
For  instance,  the  apostle  James  viewing  the  result  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  element  employed  in  its  produc- 
tion, and  conforming  his  words  to  the  figure  of  crea- 
tion, says :  ^^  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the  word 
of  truth,  that  we  should  be  a  kind  of  first  fruits  of  his 
creatures/'  (James  i :  18.)  This  reference  to  the  new 
birth  reminds  us  of  the  language  of  Paul  (Heb.  xi :  3) : 
'*  Through  faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were 
framed  by  the  word  of  God.''  But  more  especially  of 
the  language  of  Jesus,  who  says  :  "  The  hour  is  coming, 
and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God  :  and  they  that  hear  shall  live."  (John 
v:  25.)  The  idea  of  the  new  birth  is  intimately  as- 
sociated Avith  that  of  creation  ;  hence  the  regenerated 
soul  is  called  a  new  creature.  (2  Cor.  v:  17;  Gal. 
vi:  15.) 

The  apostle  Peter,  viewing  it  from  the  same  stand- 
point, yet  conforming  his  expression  to  the  figure  in- 
troduced by  Jesus  in  the  parable  of  "  the  sower  and  the 
seed,"  says :  "  Being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible 
seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  word  of  God,  which 
liveth  and  abideth  forever."  (1  Pet.  i :  23.)  The  idea 
here  presented  is  that  of  new  and  spiritual  life,  spring- 
ing up  from  the  pure  germ  or  principle,  inwrouglit  in 
the  soul,  as  the  seed  is  cast  into  the  ground.  But  the 
living  word  is  that  germ  or  principle ;  as  it  is  styled 
"  the  ingrafted  word  by  faith."     And  according  to  the 


76  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

saying  of  Jesns,  '^  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you, 
they  are  spirit,  and  they  are  life/'     (John  vi :  63.) 

The  Saviour  himself,  speaking  of  it  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  sovereign  agency  by  which  it  is  brought 
about,  says :  "  So  is  every  one  who  is  born  of  the 
Spirit.'^     (John  iii :  8.) 

He  had  enunciated  a  great  principle  in  relation  to 
his  kingdom — namely  :  ^^  Except  a  man  be  born  again, 
he  can  not  see  the  kingdom  of  heaven. ''  (John  iii :  3.) 
In  this  declaration  he  referred  neither  to  the  element 
nor  agency  of  the  new  birth. 

Upon  his  distinguished  auditor  betraying  the  ut- 
most ignorance  in  regard  to  this  principle,  evidently 
with  a  view  to  lead  him  to  a  better  apprehension  of 
the  subject,  he  re-enunciates  it,  referring  alike  in  his  ex- 
planatory statement  to  the  two  great  characteristic 
features  of  that  birth — the  element  and  agency  by  which 
it  is  produced  :  ^'  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water,  and 
of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.^' 

The  foregoing  discussion,  we  trust,  has  prepared  the 
way  for  an  easy  and  satisfactory  solution  of  this  diffi- 
cult and  much-disputed  passage.  The  phrases,  ^'  born 
of  water,  and  of  the  Spirit,^'  must  indicate  two  things 
which  harmonize  and  blend  in  the  one  common  event — 
the  new  birth.  The  birth  from  above  is  as  truly  a 
single  event  as  is  the  natural  birth.  The  first  phrase, 
then,  relates  to  the  moral  element  in  which  this  birth 
takes  place — tropically  represented  by  water.  The  sec- 
ond, to  the  creative  energy  by  which  it  is  effected — 
hence  referred  to  the  Spirit. 


SECOND  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE.  77 

This  view  is  perfectly  harmonious  with  the  whole 
scope  of  Scripture  teaching. 

AVe  have  seen  that  ^'  the  new  creature"  is  as  truly  the 
product  of  the  incorruptible  living  Word  (which  as  a 
moral  element  is  23ut  for  the  blood  and  righteousness 
of  Christ),  as  it  is  of  the  creative  energy  of  the  Spirit. 

And  from  the  figurative  use  of  the  word  water,  as 
seen  in  the  examples  produced,  we  are  irresistibly 
brought  to  the  conclusion,  that  "  born  or  begotten  of 
water"  is  begotten  of  "the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus." 

The  phrases,  "  born  of  water,  and  of  the  Spirit,"  can 
not,  therefore,  relate  to  two  separate  acts,  as  baptism 
and  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  Baptism  is  nowhere  called 
a  birth.  And  that  learned  master  in  Israel  was  not 
reproved  for  being  ignorant  of  baptism.  The  Saviour 
treated  him  according  to  his  profession.  His  j^rofession 
was  to  instruct  Israel  in  the  things  of  God,  out  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets.  In  the  whole  scope  of  the  Old 
Testament  scriptures  he  found  nothing  relative  to  bap- 
tism, but  much  pertaining  to  a  spiritual  birth  and  life. 
And  it  was  his  ignorance  of  divine  teaching  upon  this 
subject  which  rendered  him  obnoxious  to  reproof. 

The  doctrine  of  the  new  birth  is  as  certainly  taught 
in  the  Old  Testament,  under  its  own  peculiar  phrase- 
ology, as  it  was  in  the  ministry  of  Jesus.  Those  pas- 
sages quoted  from  Isaiah,  as  examples  of  the  tropical 
use  of  the  term  water,  very  clearly  teach  this  doctrine. 
It  is  in  numerous  other  places  taught,  either  directly 
or  by  implication.  "We  will,  however,  quote  one  other 
passage  in  which  it  is  very  clearly  set  forth. 


78  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

God,  speaking  through  Ezekiel,  and  explaining  more 
fully  the  provisions  of  '^  the  new  covenant/'  as  stated 
by  Jeremiah  xxxi :  33,  34,  says : 

*^  Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye 
shall  be  clean  :  from  all  your  filthiness,  and  from  all 
your  idols,  will  I  cleanse  you.  A  new  heart  also  will 
I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you : 
and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh, 
and  I  will  give  you*  a  heart  of  flesh.  And  I  will  put 
my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them. 
And  ye  shall  dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to  your 
fathers;  and  ye  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  be  your 
God.''     (Ezek.  xxxvi:  25-28.) 

It  will  here  be  observed  that  "  clean  water  "  is  fig- 
uratively put  for  the  blood  of  atonement — indicating 
its  cleansing  power.  It  is  said  to  be  sprinkled,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  fact  that  Moses  "  sprinkled  both  the  book 
and  all  the  people"  with  blood,  ^'Saying,  This  is  the 
blood  of.  the  covenant  which  God  hath  enjoined  unto 
you."     (Heb.  ix:  19-22.) 

Also  in  prophetic  allusion  to  the  blood  of  Christ, 
which  is  called  ^'  the  blood  of  sprinkling,  that  speaketh 
better  things  than  that  of  Abel."  (Heb.  xii :  24.)  As 
also  in  1  Pet.  i :  2. 

The  giving  of  ^^a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit,"  under 
the  provisions  of  the  covenant  of  redemption,  in  Old 
Testament  phraseology,  very  clearly  and  definitely 
points  out  the  birth  from  above  of  which  the  Saviour 
spake.     And  so  distinguished  a  master  in  Israel  as 


SECOND   CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  79 

Kicoclemus  should  have  had  some  better  idea  of  the 
great  doctrine  to  which  these  expressions  refer. 

A  further  confirmation  of  the  explanation  of  John 
iii :  5,  is  furnished  in  the  fact  that  the  strong  contrast 
which  Jesus  draws  to  the  mind  of  Xicodemus,  in  verse 
6,  between  the  natural  birth  ^'  of  flesh  ^'  and  the  super- 
natural under  tlie  designation  ''  of  Spirit/^  Peter  also 
draws  in  his  reference  to  the  subject — speaking,  how- 
ever, of  the  supernatural  under  the  designation  of  a 
birth  of  "  the  incorruptible  seed/'  or  living  Word 
(compare  1  Pet.  i :  23-25),  showing  that  the  Scriptures 
inter-changeably  use  them  as  equally  expressive  of  the 
birth  from  above,  or  new  creation. 

In  this  passage,  however,  we  have  them  in  combina- 
tion. As  the  first  relates  to  the  work  of  Jesus,  and  he 
was  the  speaker,  and  addressing  a  teacher  of  "  the  law 
and  the  pro])hets,  he  chose  to  express  it  in  Old  Testa- 
ment phraseology,  tropically  represented  by  water: 
**  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water '' — as  the  other  related 
to  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  he  directly  refers  it  to  his 
creative  energy — ^^  and  of  the  Spirit.'^ 

AYe  have  given  much  space  and  attention  to  a  con- 
sideration of  the  foregoing  passages  because  of  their 
importance.  They  are  of  intrinsic  value  in  developing 
the  great  doctrine  of  the  new  birth.  Their  meaning 
has  been  so  far  misapprehended  that  both  in  ancient  and 
modern  times  they  have  been  erroneously  confounded 
with  baptism,  and  have  been  made  the  chief  ground 
and  support  of  the  prolific  heresy  of  sacramental  effi- 
cacy, popularly  styled  ^^  baptismal  regeneration. '^ 


80  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

We  think  we  have  shown  that  baptism  is  not  taught 
in  these  passages.  And  if  not,  the  support  drawn 
from  thence  to  sustain  the  many  false  glosses  and  inter- 
pretations fixed  upon  other  portions  of  the  Scripture, 
which  do  positively  relate  to  the  ordinance,  is  efFectu-^ 
ally  set  aside. 

The  more  prominent  passages  relating  to  that  part 
of  our  subject  under  consideration  will  be  treated  in 
the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTEE    y. 

SECOND   CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE   CONTINUED. 

In  the  preceding  chapter,  until  we  essayed  to  give  an 
exposition  of  those  passages  which  have  been  errone- 
ously confounded  Avith  baptism,  we  were  treating  of  the 
ordinance  as  a  symbol  of  the  believer's  rising  from  the 
death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  righteousness  and  holiness. 
We  will  now  resume  that  part  of  our  subject. 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  foundation  of  this 
symbol.  In  1  Pet.  iii :  21,  our  attention  is  recalled  to 
the  resurrection,  and  to  the  symbol  in  baptism  founded 
on  it. 

Section  1.  This  passage,  therefore,  will  now  most 
appropriately  claim  our  attention. 

^^  The  like  figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  also 
now  save  us,  (not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the 
flesh,  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God,) 
by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Three  things  of  special  interest  pertain  to  this  pas- 
sage: 

First,  it  is  important  to  ascertain  to  what  baptism  is 
"  the  like  figure,'^  or  "  antitype."  Some  commentators, 
and  other  writers,  have  supposed  to  the  ark,  but  others 

(81) 


82  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

to  the  waters  of  the  flood.  Both  of  these  views,  we 
apprehend,  are  seriously  defective,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  analogies  sought  to  be  drawn  are  wanting  in  unity 
and  simplicity,  and  are  in  a  great  measure  forced.  The 
two  should  be  combined,  according  to  the  plain  letter 
of  th'fe  text,  and  then  we  have  a  satisfactory  answer  to 
the  question,  to  what  is  baptism  ^^the  like  figure?" 

Noah  and  his  family  are  expressly  said  to  have  been 
saved  in  the  ark,  "  wherein  eight  souls  were  saved." 
But  also  "  by  water."     (1  Pet.  iii ;  20.) 

By  the  waters  of  the  flood  the  ark,  with  its  precious 
contents  of  life,  was  borne  up  in  safety.  But  these  very 
waters,  having  overwhelmed  and  submerged  the  balance 
of  the  race,  constituted  the  line  of  separation  between 
the  dead  and  the  living.  It  was,  therefore,  death  in 
the  one  aspect  and  life  in  the  other,  and  in  the  two 
combined  a  complete  picture,  type,  or  figure  of  life  from 
the  dead.  Now,  baptism  is  an  exact  picture  of  life 
from  the  dead.  It  is,  therefore,  "  the  antitype  "  or  "  the 
like  figure"  to  that  exhibited  in  the  preservation  of 
Noah  and  his  family. 

The  second  fact  stated  is  that  baptism  saves  us,  in  a 
figure,  "  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ." 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  was  that  divine  act  which 
declared  him  ^^to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power." 
(Kom.  i :  4.)  His  resurrection  was  indispensable  to 
the  execution  of  the  great  plan  of  redemption.  Hence, 
says  the  apostle,  "  if,  when  we  were  enemies,  we  were 
reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son  (which  recon- 
ciliation included  our  death  to  sin),  much  more,  being 


SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATUEE.  83 

reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  his  life.'^  (Rom.  v: 
10.)  Christ  ^'  was  delivered  for  our  offenses,  and  was 
raised  again  for  our  justification."     (Rom.  iv  :  25.) 

Through  his  resurrection,  therefore,  we  are  justified 
and  saved. 

But  baptism  is  a  lively  figure  of  the  resurrection, 
and  it  is  the  resurrection  of  Christ  symbolized  in  bap- 
tism which  gives  to  it  its  significancy  as  a  figure  of  sal- 
vation. Baptism,  therefore,  saves  us  in  a  figure  by  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  hence  essentially 
declaratory  in  its  character. 

"We  submit  it,  therefore,  as  an  axiom  (there  are  ax- 
ioms in  moral  as  wtII  as  mathematical  truth),  namely : 
that  which  saves  in  a  figure  can  save  in  no  other  way. 
Baptism  saves  in  a  figure.  Baptism  can  save  in  no 
other  way.  And  the  doctrine  of  regeneration,  or  the 
communication  of  spiritual  life  in  the  act  of  baptism, 
is  the  veriest  absurdity. 

A  third  fact  of  great  importance  presented  in  the 
passage  is  that  baptism  pertains  to  the  conscience.  It 
is  '^  the  answer,"  (or  as  the  revised  version  renders  it, 
^'  the  requirement ")  ^'  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God  f 
"  not  the  putting  away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh." 

What  do  we  understand  by  "  a  good  conscience  to- 
ward God?" 

Conscience  is  that  power  or  faculty  of  the  soul  which, 
through  the  perception  or  knowledge  of  the  moral  qual- 
ities of  actions,  and  motives  to  actions,  renders  a  decision 
as  to  whether  they  are  right  or  wrong,  and  approves  or 
disapproves.     It  is  prompt,  vigorous,  and  active  in  its 


84  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

decisions,  In  proportion  as  the  moral  sense  is  educated 
in  the  knowledge  and  claims  of  the  divine  law,  which 
is  the  supreme  and  governing  rule  of  all  motives  and 
actions.  In  accommodation  to  our  modes  of  thought, 
the  qualities  of  '^  good  ^^  and  "  evll^'  are  ascribed  to  it; 
but  this,  I  apprehend,  in  the  sense  of  being  rendered 
conformable  to  the  good  or  evil,  holy  or  unholy  bias  of 
the  heart  or  moral  nature. 

Paul  represents  believers  as  having  their  "  hearts 
sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience.^^  (Heb.  x  :  22.)  The 
heart  being  cleansed  through  the  blood  of  Christ  from 
the  unholy  and  evil  bias  of  sin,  the  conscience  is  deliv- 
ered from  the  restraining  and  subversive  influences 
of  corrupt  affections  and  a  perverse  will.  The  same 
apostle  has  also  said,  "  How  much  more  shall  the  blood 
of  Christ,  who  through  the  eternal  Spirit  offered  him- 
self without  spot  to  God,  purge  your  conscience  from 
dead  works  to  serve  the  living  God?"  (Heb.  ix  :  14.) 

"Dead  works"  are  those  religious  actions  which, 
though  they  are  relied  upon  as  a  ground  of  acceptance 
with  God,  are  such  as  have  not  been  prompted  or 
wrought  by  faith — "  not  being  mixed  with  faith  in 
them  that"  have  performed  them.     (Heb.  iv :  2.) 

As  "  faith  without  works  is  dead,"  (James  ii :  20,) 
so  works  without  faith  are  "  dead  works  ."  Conscience 
does  not  originate  "  dead  works,"  but  the  perverse  will, 
choosing  and  resolving  upon  such  acts  or  works  as  are 
in  harmony  with  the  corrupt  inclinations  and  affections. 
Conscience  may  be  overborne  by  "  dead  works,"  may  be 
diseased  by  their  corrupting  power,  and  so  enfeebled 


SECOXD    CHARACTEEISTIC   FEATUEE.  85 

and  rendered  ineiFective.  But  when,  through  the 
''  blood  of  Christ/^  ''  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God," 
the  heart  is  cleansed  from  the  love,  lust,  guilt,  and  do- 
minion of  sin,  the  will  being  subdued  and  swallowed  up 
in  the  will  of  God,  the  conscience  is  relieved  of  its  dis- 
ability, healed  as  to  its  disorders,  and  once  more  asserts 
for  God  supremacy  on  the  altar  of  the  soul. 

It  is  clear,  then,  that  an  "evil  conscience"  pertains 
to  an  unregenerate  or  "an  evil  heart  of  unbelief." 
(Heb.  iii:  12.) 

Now,  the  converse  of  this  is  equally  true.  A  "good 
conscience"  pertains  only  to  a  regenerate  or  believing 
heart.  A  believing  and  a  regenerate  heart  are  one 
and  the  same  thing.  (John  i:  12,  13.)  Paul  makes 
"a  good  conscience"  to  harmonize  in  all  its  work, with 
"  love  out  of  a  pure  heart,  and  faith  unfeigned."  (1  Tim. 
i :  5.)  He  associates  it  with  faith  :  "  Holding  faith, 
and  a  good  conscience."  (1  Tim.  i :  19.)  "  Holding 
the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  conscience."  (1  Tim. 
iii :  8,'  9.)   ' 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  "a  good  conscience" 
pertains  only  to  a  regenerate  or  saved  state,  and  is  in 
harmony  with  the  mind  and  will  of  God. 

But  the  chief  work  of  conscience  is  to  testify  or  bear 
witness.  (Rom.  ii :  15;  also  ix :  1 ;  2  Cor.  i:  12.) 
This  it  does,  both  in  relation  to  God  and  ourselves, 
when  it  approves  or  disapproves,  justifies  or  condemns 
our  conduct.  It  testifies  to  the  infinite  rectitude  of 
God's  conduct,  in  bearing  its  constant  testimony  to  the 
perfection  of  that  law  which  he  has  given  to  be  the 


86  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

supreme  rule  of  our  duty,  both  in  relation  to  himself 
and  our  fellow-beings. 

But  Christ  has  fulfilled  the  law  of  God,  "  has  mag- 
nified and  made  it  honorable/'  and  has  become  "  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  be- 
lie veth.''  *'  The  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus/'  therefore,  which  frees  "  from  the  law  of  sin 
and  death/'  is  that  which  is  written  in  the  heart  and 
put  into  the  mind  of  the  regenerate  person.  It  is  the 
supreme  law  of  the  believing  heart,  because  "  the  law  of 
righteousness"  by  faith.  Where  this  law  reigns,  Christ 
reigns  as  the  Sovereign  of  the  soul  and  Lord  of  the  con- 
science. And  his  revealed  mind  and  will,  authorita- 
tively declared  in  his  gospel,  is  the  supreme  standard  to 
which  the  "good  conscience"  summons  its  possessor  for 
the  adjudication  of  his  life  deeds.  It  testifies,  there- 
fore, to  the  rectitude  of  our  conduct  when  it  is  in  har- 
inony  with  the  authority  and  will  of  Christ.  Says 
Paul  :  '^  For  our  rejoicing  is  this,  the  testimony  of  our 
conscience,  that  in  simplicity  and  godly  sincerity,  not 
with  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of  God,  we  have 
had  our  conversation  (conduct)  in  the  world,  and  more 
abundantly  to  you-ward."    (2  Cor.  i:  12.) 

"  A  good  conscience,"  in  testifying  to  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ's  demands  upon  us,  requires  an  unqualified 
submission  to  his  authority  and  conformity  to  his  will. 
Hence  baptism,  as  a  positive  and  righteous  command, 
is  "  the  requirement  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God," 
is  the  cheerful  and  willing  response  which  it  renders  to 
the  demands  of  the  sovereign  Lawgiver  in  Zion. 


SECOND  CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATUEE.  87 

A  good  conscience,  we  have  seen,  can  only  exist  in 
connection  with  a  regenerate  or  renewed  state;  and  it 
is  only  preserved  a  good  conscience  as  it  continues  to 
bear  its  prompt,  vigorous,  and  faithful  testimony  to  the 
authority  and  supremacy  of  the  word  of  Christ  as  our 
only  rule  of  faith  and  duty.  Under  the  powerful  in- 
fluence of  a  wrong  educational  bias,  of  party  prejudice 
and  association,  or  an  ingenious  drilling  in  error,  be- 
lievers themselves  may  lapse  into  the  performance  of 
"  dead  works  ^^ — may  follow  the  "  traditions  of  men '' — 
may  bow  to  the  dicta  of  those  who  "teach  for  doctrine 
the  commandments  of  men,^^  thus  making  the  com- 
mandments of  Christ  "  of  none  effect  by  their  tradi- 
tions.''    (Matt.  XV :  6,  9;  Mark  vii :  7,  13.) 

Such  are  "  dead  works,''  because  contrary  to  the 
teaching  and  faith  of  the  gospel.  By  persistency  in 
dead  works  the  conscience  of  the  believer  is  corrupted, 
is  diseased,  and  its  efficient  power  in  testifying  for 
Christ  is  in  a  measure  paralyzed.  Upon  this  fact,  in  a 
great  measure,  may  be  accounted  for  the  diversity  in  the 
religious  practices  of  those  who  are  really  '^the  children 
of  God  by  faith  in  Christ."  It  is,  therefore,  the  para- 
mount duty  of  every  believer  to  seek  to  have  his  con- 
science ^'  purged  from  dead  works." 

And  we  may  justly  conclude  that  "a  good  conscience," 
rightly  educated  in  "the  things  pertaining  to  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,"  will  neither 
neglect  its  response  to  the  law  of  Christ  in  baptism  nor 
substitute  any  thing  else  in  its  stead. 

The  facts  adduced  from  this  passage  are  of  great  im- 


88  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

portance,  and  will  be  fouucl  of  great  weight  in  settling 
and  confirming  the  meaning  of  others.  For  this  pur- 
pose we  will  here  recapitulate  them — namely,  first,  bap- 
tism is  the  picture  of  life  from  the  dead.  The  antitype 
to  that  picture  of  salvation,  exhibited  in  the  preservation 
of  Noah  and  his  family  "  in  the  ark  "  by  "  water.'' 

Second,  baptism  "saves  us  in  a  figure,"  and  hence 
can  save  in  no  other  way. 

Third,  it  is  "  the  answer  '^  or  "  requirement  of  a  good 
conscience  toward  God,"  which  good  conscience  is  it- 
self the  fruit  of  a  regenerate  or  believing  heart. 

All  of  which  conspire  to  render  the  ordinance  essen- 
tially professional  or  declarative.* 

With  these  facts  before  us;  we  shall  find  the  language 
of  Ananias  to  Paul  susceptible  of  an  easy  and  satisfac- 
tory explanation. 

Section  2.  "  And  now  why  tarriest  tliou  ?  arise, 
and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on 
the  name  of  the  Lord."     (Acts  xxii :  16.) 

Paul  was  required  to  wash  away  his  sins  in  baptism  ; 
there  is  a  scriptural  sense  in  which  this  was  done. 

According  to  Peter,  Paul  was  saved  in  a  figure,  in 
baptism.  The  washing  away  of  his  sins  was  an  essen- 
tial feature  of  his  salvation.  In  a  figure,  therefore,  his 
sins  were  washed  away. 

Paul  testifies  in  relation  to  his  own  baptism,  that  it 
was  in  form  a  burial,  and  a  rising.  (Rom.  vi  :  4.) 
Hence,  in  his  emergence  out  of  the  water  in  baptism,  there 


*See  Appendix  E,  Section  1,  page  191.  Gill.  Dudley. 


SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATUEE.  89 

was  the  figure  of  '^washing  away  sins/'  just  as  we 
raise  out  of  the  water  those  things  which  are  cli2)ped 
into  it  for  the  purpose  of  cleansing.  And  hence,  also, 
there  was  the  picture  of  life  from  the  dead. 

But  again,  according  to  Peter,  Paul's  baptism  was 
"  the  requirement  of  his  good  conscience  toward  God." 
In  other  words,  it  was  the  cheerful  and  ready  response 
which  his  conscience  rendered  to  the  demands  of 
Christ. 

Xow  Christ  through  Ananias  demanded  of  him  bap- 
tism. His  good  conscience  yielded  a  prompt  and  cheer- 
ful answer  by  complying.  But  his  good  conscience  was 
the  fruit  of  a  regenerate  or  believing  heart,  which  he 
possessed  before  baptism.  Of  this  we  have  abundant 
testimony,  and  of  the  strongest  character. 

The  Lord  Jesus  met  him  in  the  way  to  Damascus,  on 
his  persecuting  errand,  '^  And  spake  to  him,  and  caused  a 
light  to  shine  round  about  him,"  which  overwhelmed 
him  with  trembling  and  astonishment. 

"  He  was  three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did 
eat  nor  drink."     (Acts  ix  :  9.) 

The  overwhelming  conviction  of  his  guilt  as  a  per- 
secutor, as  a  hater  of  God,  as  a  murderer,  and  as  a  self- 
righteous,  ungodly  man ;  his  conviction,  also,  that 
Jesus  whom  he  persecuted  was  "  the  Messiah,"  "  the 
Christ,"  "the  Son  of  God,"  both  deprived  him  of  the 
natural  desire ^  of  food,  and  furnished  food  for  reflec- 
tion. 

During  this  period  of  blindness,  of  abstinence  from 

food,  of  pungent  conviction  and  bitter  reflection,  the 
8 


90  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

Lord  himself  testifies  to  Ananias :  ^'  Behold,  he  prayeth." 
He  must  have  been  a  penitent.  PaiiPs  own  testimony 
in  relation  to  this  period  of  his  history  shows  this ;  he 
says :  "  I  was  alive  without  the  law  once :  but  when 
the  commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died." 
(Rom.  vii :  9.)  "  But  what  things  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ.^'  (Phil,  iii :  7.) 
Death  to  sin,  and  a  relinquishment  of  all  for  Christ 
was  his  experience. 

When  Ananias  came  to  him,  by  direction  of  the  Lord, 
to  tell  him  what  to  do,  he  neither  called  on  him  to  re- 
pent, as  Peter  did  the  awakened  inquirers  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  nor  to  believe,  as  Paul  himself  subse- 
quently did  to  the  jailer  and  his  household.  Ananias 
found  him  both  a  penitent  and  a  believer.  His  was  a 
regenerate  or  believing  heart,  and  his  good  conscience, 
as  a  fruit  of  it,  required  him  to  follow  Christ  in  bap- 
tism. 

Now,  Paul's  experience  in  conversion  must  have  been 
harmonious  with  the  plan  of  salvation.  His  subsequent 
uniform  teaching  on  this  sul)ject  was,  that  forgiveness 
of  sins  turns  not  upon  baptism,  but  upon  faith  in  the 
blood  of  Christ.  ^'  Whom  God  (says  he)  hath  set 
forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood, 
to  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins 
that  are  past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God.''  (Rom. 
iii :  25.)  "  In  whom  we  have  redemption  through  his 
blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."     (Col.  i :  14.) 

Ananias  addressed  him  as  a  Jew,  in  Jewish  cere- 
monial phraseology  (see  Lev.  xiii :  58,  59  ;  14  :  8,  9), 


SECOND   CHAEACTERISTIC  FEATTJEE.  91 

which  he  readily  apprehended,  as  relating  to  the  de- 
claratory character  of  that  ordinance  he  was  required  to 
obey.  This  is,  doubtless,  the  sense  in  which  the  words 
of  Ananias  are  to  be  interpreted. 

We  will  set  this  truth  in  a  still  stronger  light  by  in- 
stituting a  scriptural  contrast.  John  refers  the  wash- 
ing from  sin  to  the  blood  of  Christ  as  to  a  fountain,  or 
figurative  bath :  ^'  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood. '^  (Rev. 
i  ;  5.)  Paul  represents  the  Holy  Spirit  as  administer- 
ing this  washing :  "  But  ye  are  washed  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  (through  his  blood),  and  by  the 
Spirit  of  our  God."  (1  Cor.  vi :  11)  John  again 
testifies,  saying,  "  The  blood  of  Christ  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin."     (1  John  i :   7.) 

Ananias  represents  the  believer  washing  away  his 
own  sins  in  baptism. 

On  the  one  hand,  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  washing 
away  sins  in  the  blood  of  Christ;  on  the  other,  the 
believer  washing  away  his  own  sins  in  baptism.  Both 
are  scriptural  representations  of  washing  away  sin. 
The  one  is  procurative  and  effective,  the  other  is  pro- 
fessional and  declaratory.* 

Section  3.  The  exposition  of  Peter's  language,  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  is  upon  the  same  general  princi- 
ple :  ^'Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye 


*  See  Appendix  E,  Section  2,  page  192.  Turney,  Williams,  Hinton, 
Luther,  Chase,  Carson. 


92  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

shall  receive  tlie  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Acts  il : 
38.)  This  passage  has  been  greatly  controverted,  and 
mistakes  in  regard  to  its  interpretation,  we  think,  have 
been  committed  on  both  sides  of  the  question. 

The  obvious  sense  of  the  passage,  doctrinally  and 
philologically  considered,  requires  that  "  remission  of 
sins  "  should  stand  connected  with  baptism. 

The  command  to  repent  evidently  related  to  the 
state  of  mind  of  those  addressed,  and  was  of  immediate 
application.  They  were  pierced  to  the  heart  by  the 
words  of  Peter ;  the  quickening  Spirit  having  awakened 
them,  not  only  to  a  perception  of  the  truth  of  his 
words,  but  also  to  a  knowledge  and  realizing  sense  of 
their  sin  and  guilt;  hence  their  cry:  "Men  and 
brethren,  what  shall  we  do  ?'^ 

The  command  to  "  be  baptized  '^  was  future  in  its 
application,  contingent  upon  their  repentance  and 
faitlf.  ,   Faith  is  here  clearly  presupposed. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  crucified,  the  risen  and  exalted 
Redeemer,  was  held  up  to  them  as  the  object  of  their 
faith.  In  the  "  many  other  words  "  with  which  he  testi- 
fied to  them  and  exhorted,  Peter  doubtless  urged  the 
immediate  duty  of  faith.  (Acts  ii :  40.)  But  the  rec- 
ord itself  of  their  glad  reception  of  the  Word  before 
baptism  is  conclusive  of  their  faith.     (Acts  ii :  41.) 

Now,  repentance  is  sorrow  of  heart  for  sin,  exercised 
toward  God.  Its  province  is  to  reduce  the  soul  to  si 
realization  of  its  evil  desert  and  helplessness ;  hence 
works  disinclination  to  sin,  a  loathing  and  renuncia- 
tion of  it,  a  dying  unto  it.     It  is,  therefore,  in  the 


SECOND  CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  93 

very  nature  of  the  exercise,  necessarily  precedent  to 
forgiveness,  and  to  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  but  is  ia 
no^Yise  procurative,  or  even  declarative  of  remission. 
It  can  not,  therefore,  in  the  passage  before  us,  stand 
connected  with  it  as  its  predicate. 

Eepentance  and  faith  are  spiritual  exercises  which 
issue  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins  and  in  the  complete 
salvation  of  the  soul. 

They  are  the  scriptural  conditions  of  forgiveness,  in 
the  sense  that  there  is  no  forgiveness  of  sin  where  there 
is  no  '^repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.^'  These  are  the  soul's  exercises  w^hen 
brought  into  harmony  with  the  plan  of  salvation. 

Faith,  in  its  very  nature,  is  receptive  and  appropri- 
atlve.  It  receives  Jesus  Christ  in  his  fullness,  and  ap- 
propriates him  to  the  heart  as  our  Saviour.  It  is  this 
faith  by  which  we  are  said  to  be  justified  (Rom.  v  :  1), 
and,  in  consequence  of  Avhich  justification  "  by  faith, 
we  have  peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Associated  with  this  peace  in  the  soul  is  the 
joyful  assurance  that  ''  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  for- 
given our  sins"  (Eph.  iv  :  32),  as  it  is  written,  "To 
him  give  all  the  prophets  witness,  that  through  his 
name  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  receive  remis- 
sion of  sins."  (Acts  x  :  43.)  But  even  faith,  "  with- 
out w^hich  it  is  impossible  to  please  God,"  can  not  be 
said  to  procure  forgiveness,  only  in  the  subordinate  sense 
of  an  instrumentality,  as  apprehending  and  laying 
hold  of  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  Christ,  "  whom 
God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation,  through  faith 


94  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins.'^  It  can  not  even  be  styled  declarative 
of  remission,  only  as  it  issues  in  a  holy  life,  which 
gives  evidence  of  the  fact. 

It  is  plain,  therefore,  from  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  that  neither  repentance,nor  faith,  can  meet  the 
exigency  of  the  passage,  and  fill  the  scriptural  relation 
to  "  remission  of  sins,"  referred  to.  Kepentance  and 
faith  united  can  not;  baptism  alone  can.  The  gram- 
matical construction  of  the  passage,  and  the  doctrinal 
relations  referred  to, alike  require  this  sense. 

It  is  "  Baptized  for  the  remission  of  sius.  "  Remis- 
sion of  sins''  is  ascribed  to  two  things  :  One  is  causal 
or  procurative,  the  other  is  professional  or  declaratory. 
One  points  to  the  blood  of  Christ,  the  other  to  bap- 
tism. Jesus  says,  "  This  is  my  blood  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament, which  is  shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of 
sins."     The  very  words  in  controversy. 

Peter  says,  "  Be  baptized  every  one  of  you,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins." 

Jesus  says  ^'  my  blood,"  Peter  says  "  baptism."  There 
is  no  conflict  here.  The  one  is  procurative,  the  other 
is  simply  declarative.  It  is  no  more  difficult  to  see 
that  sins  are  remitted  than  that  they  are  washed  away 
in  baptism.  The  phrases  alike  refer  to  the  same  thing- 
"  the  pardon  "  or  "  forgiveness  of  sins." 

The  former  indicates  that  the  pardoned  sinner  is  re- 
leased from  the  obligation  of  suffering  the  punishment 
due  to  sin,  and  is  effectually  delivered  from  its  guilt 
and  dominion.     The  latter  denotes  that  his  sins  are 


SECOND   CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  95 

put  away  far  from  him,  and  are  no  more  to  be  remem- 
bered against  him. 

Both  are  according  to  the  divine  rule  of  forgiveness : 
"And  their  sins  and  iniquities  will  I  remember  no 
more."     (Heb.  x:  17.) 

Paul  was  required  to  wash  away  his  sins  in  bap- 
tism ;  the  believers  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  were  re- 
quired to  ''  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins." 
Baptism  is  equally  declarative  of  both. 

In  the  symbol  which  it  furnishes  of  rising  with 
Christ,  there  is  an  emergence  out  of  the  watery  element, 
which  furnishes  the  figure  of  washing  away  sin.  In 
his  letter  to  the  Hebrews,  Paul  refers  to  this  figure, 
but  lest  the  symbolic  or  professional  declaration  of  wash- 
ing away  sins  in  baptism  should  be  misapprehended, 
or  confounded  with  the  real  washing  from  sin  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  he  combines  the  two  facts  in  one  state- 
ment. We  will  quote  from  the  revised  version,  which,  to 
our  mind,  more  definitely  and  accurately  expresses  the 
sense  of  the  original : 

"  Having,  therefore,  brethren,  boldness  as  to  the  en- 
trance into  the  holy  places  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  which 
(entrance)  he  instituted  for  us,  a  new  and  living  way, 
through  the  vail,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh ;  and  having 
a  great  priest  over  the  house  of  God  ;  let  us  draw  near 
"with  a  true  heart  in  full  assurance  of  faith,  having  had 
our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience ;  and  hav- 
ing had  our  body  washed  with  pure  w^ater  ;  let  us  hold 
fast  the  profession  of  the  hope  without  wavering;  for 
he  is  faithful  who  promised."     (Heb.  x  ;  19-23.) 


96  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

Here  It  will  be  observed  that  the  cleanslno^  of  the 
heart  "  from  an  evil  conscience ''  is  referred  to  the 
blood  of  Jesus.  (Yerses  19,  20,  21.)  The  washing 
of  the  body  with  pure  water  in  baptism  points  signifi- 
cantly to  the  profession  of  hope. 

Paul,  who  was  required  to  wash  away  his  sins  in 
baptism,  shows,  in  the  above  quotation,  that  this 
ordinance  not  only  furnishes  the  figure  of  washing 
away  sin,  but  is  highly  professional  or  declarative  of  the 
fact. 

But  again,  in  baptism  we  have  the  emblem  of  burial, 
and  the  believer  is  said  to  be  ^^  buried  with  Christ,  by 
baptism  into  death. ^^  Herein  he  is  symbolized  as 
"  putting  oif  the  old  man  with  his  corrupt  deeds." 
(Col.  iii :  9.)  And  in  the  emblem  of  rising  with 
Christ  (^^  wherein,  also,  ye  are  risen  with  him^'),  he  is 
symbolized  as  leaving  '^  the  old  man,  of  the  body  of 
sins  "  in  the  grave :  thus,  symbolically  and  profession- 
ally, leaving  his  sins  in  the  grave,  as  being  no  longer 
bound  and  held  by  them,  but  as  having  them  remit- 
ted. 

To  an  unsophisticated  mind, ''  the  blood  "  and ''  right- 
eousness of  Christ "  "  for  the  remission  of  sins  "  (see 
Matt,  xxvi :  28,  and  Rom.  iii :  26),  and  for  the  com- 
plete salvation  of  the  sinner,  is  the  great  underlying  and 
crowning  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament.  And  with  the 
simple  recognition  of  the  fact  that  there  are  in  these 
disputed  passages  expressions  peculiar  to  the  idiom  of 
the  New  Testament  Greek,  or  a  reference  to  Jewish 
ceremonial  phraseology,  in  which  an  act  is  said  to  effect 


SECOND  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE.  97 

that  of  which  it  is  only  declaratory,  the  difficulty  in 
their  interpretation  vanishes.  The  converted  Jew 
would,  without  any  perplexity  or  hesitation,  accept  them 
as  relating  to  profession.  His  life-long  religious  train- 
ing and  educational  bias,  would  prompt  the  recollec- 
tion, in  the  language  of  Paul,  that  "  almost  all  things 
are  by  the  law  purged  with  blood ;  and  without  shed- 
ding of  blood  is  no  remission.^^  (Heb.  ix  :  22.)  So 
that  when  led  to  embrace  Christ  by  faith,  as  *^  the 
Messiah,'^  "  the  Son  of  God,"  he  would  accept  of  him, 
according  to  the  designation  of  "  John  the  Baptist,^^  as 
^^  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world,''  and,  according  to  the  declaration  of  the  apos- 
tle John,  ^'  whose  blood  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.'' 
He  could  not  confound  actual  ^'  remission  of  sins " 
through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ  with  professional 
remission  in  baptism.  Besides,  the  command  to  "  be 
baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission 
of  sins,"  he  would  interpret  as  a  command  to  take  upon 
him  the  name  of  Christ,  or  the  profession  of  disciple- 
ship  unto  him ;  and  hence,  also,  the  profession  of  re- 
mission ^^  through  faith  in  his  blood." 

The  language  of  Peter  on  the  Pentecost  would  re- 
mind the  converted  Jew  of  the  ceremonial  language  re- 
specting ^'  the  law  of  the  leper  in  the  day  of  his  cleans- 
ing "  (Lev.  xiv :  2,  3,  28),  and  he  would  interpret 
it  precisely  as  the  cleansed  leper  did  the  words  of  the 
Saviour,  when  he  commanded  him,  saying,  ^' Go  and 
show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  for  thy  cleansing, 

according  as  Moses  commanded,  for  a  testimony  to  them.'' 
9 


98  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

(Mark  i :  41, 44 ;  Luke  v :  12-14.)  The  leper  understood 
the  offering  "  for  his  cleansing  '^  to  be  equivalent  to  a 
declaration  of  the  fact  that  he  was  cleansed.  Of  this 
he  had  previous  knowledge  and  experience. 

The  joyful  believers  whom  Peter  addressed  under- 
stood their  baptism  "  for  the  remission  of  sins  "  to  be 
equivalent  to  the  profession  or  declaration  that  their 
sins  were  remitted  through  faith  in  the  blood  of  Christ. 
Of  this  they  had  full  assurance  from  the  word  of  God  : 
"To  him  give  all  the  prophets  witness,  that  through 
his  name  whosoever  believeth  in  him  shall  receive  re- 
mission of  sins."  (Acts  x  :  43.)  Of  this,  also,  they 
had  a  peaceful  realization  in  their  own  hearts : 
"Therefore,  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God,''  etc.     (Rom.  v  :  1.) 

There  is  a  significancy  in  the  fact  that  such  language 
was  addressed  by  the  first  ministers  of  the  Word  to  none 
but  Jews,  who  were  not  likely,  from  their  familiarity 
with  the  ceremonial  phraseology  of  the  law,  to  mistake 
the  true  meaning.* 

In  conclusion,  we  may  state,  as  a  summary  of  facts 
set  forth  and  proven  in  the  foregoing  discussion,  that 
the  baptism  of  the  repentant  sinner,  who  believes  on 
Christ  to  the  saving  of  his  soul,  is  at  once  the  picture 
of  life  from  the  dead.  It  represents  him  in  a  figure  as 
saved.  It  is  the  expression  of  obedience  to  a  righteous 
command,  which  his  good  conscience,  the  fruit  of  his 
regenerate  or  believing  heart,  requires.     It  is  a  picture, 

*  Appendix  E,  Section  3,  page  194.    A.  Fuller,  Crawford,  Farn- 
ham. 


SECOND    CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  99 

in  which  liis  sins  are  figuratively  washed  away ;  a  pic- 
ture, in  which  '^  the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh"  is  left 
in  the  grave — declaratively  remitted.  Finally,  it  is  a 
picture,  in  which  he,  as  "  a  new  creature,^^  has  declar- 
atively "risen  with  Christ,"  to  walk  with  God  in  a 
holy  life. 

Our  proposition  stands  good :  Baptism  symbolizes 
the  believer  rising  from  the  death  of  sin  to  the  life  of 
righteousness  and  holiness. 


CHAPTE.E    YL 

THIED   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  yielding  an  unre- 
served and  supreme  allegiance  to  Christ. 

That  he  owes  such  allegiance  is  a  gospel  doctrine 
every-where  taught  and  enforced.  '  That  baptism  is 
designed,  in  a  most  solemn  and  significant  manner,  to 
symbolize  this,  we  think  obvious. 

Section  1.  The  very  formula  appointed  for  its  ad- 
ministration teaches  it :  '^  Baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit" 
(Matt,  xxviii :  19) ;  which  imports  not  only  the  full 
acknowledgment  of  the  united  authority  of  Father, 
Son,  and  Spirit,  but  the  most  unreserved  submission 
to  that  authority. 

To  be  baptized  "  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  is  equiv- 
alent w^ith  taking  upon  us  his  name.  To  take  upon  us 
"  the  name  of  the  Lord,'^  implies  the  full  recognition 
and  joyful  acknowledgment  of  all  that  is  imported  by 
his  name.  Hence  it  is  to  take  upon  us  the  obligations 
of  allegiance  to  him  as  the  only  Lord  and  Lawgiver. 

In  this  sense,  with  a  view  to  administer  a  deserved 
rebuke  to  the  Corinthians  for  their  divisions  and  party 
(100) 


THIED   CHAEACTEEISTIC   FEATUEE.  101 

Spirit,  Paul  refers  to  baptism  in  his  name.  He  says 
to  them,  "Is  Christ  divided?  was  Paul  crucified  for 
you  ?  or  were  ye  baptized  in  the  name  of  Paul  V^ 
(1  Cor.  i :  13.)  To  show  them  the  carnality  and  crim- 
inality of  their  divisions,  he  institutes  the  inquiry,  Is 
Christ  divided?  has  he  divided  his  redeeming  work, 
and  his  glory  and  authority  as  "  head  of  the  body,  the 
church,^^  with  Paul,  Apollos,  and  Cephas?  and  to  you, 
who  range  yourselves  under  the  leadership  of  Paul, 
"  was  Paul  crucified  for  you  ?''  or  "  were  ye  baptized  in 
the  name  of  Paul?''  He  adds :  "  I  thank  God  that  I 
baptized  none  of  you,  but  Crispus  and  Gains ;  lest  any 
should  say  that  I  had  baptized  in  my  own  name.'' 
(1  Cor.  i :  14,  15.)  Baptism  in  the  name  of  Paul  would 
have  imported  that  they  belonged  to  Paul,  and  were 
under  obligations  to  serve  him. 

It  is  evident,  from  the  force  and  design  of  the  apos- 
tle's illustration,  that  baptism  "  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord"  imports  the  profession  of  allegiance  to  him. 

This  view  of  the  subject  the  apostle  has  also  set  forth 
in  that  comprehensive  statement  of  the  Christian  pro- 
fession given  us  in  his  letter  to  the  Galatians :  "  For 
ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus. 
For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ 
have  put  on  Christ."  (Gal.  iii :  26,  27.)  Here  we 
have  the  declaration  of  a  great  leading  truth,  which 
stands  as  an  independent  proposition,  uninfluenced  by 
any  legal  or  ceremonial  contingency — namely,  *' Ye  are  all 
the  children  (or  sons)  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus." 
The  apostle  sets  this  truth  in  a  strong  light,  in  oppo- 


102  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

sitron  to  the  prevailing  error  which  had  corrupted  and 
misled  so  many  of  the  Galatian  Christians — namely, 
that  of  becoming  "children  (or  sons)  of  God"  "by 
works  of  the  law,"  on  the  basis  of  natural  descent  from 
Abraham.     (See  3d  chap.,  1st  to  15th  verse.) 

As  evidence  of  the  great  truth  here  avowed,  "  Ye  are 
the  sons  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,"  he  calls  up 
the  well-known  scriptural  object  of  baptism  as  profes- 
sional or  declarative  of  what  they  were  in  Christ.  The 
argument  is  that,  in  baptism,  having  been  "  buried 
with  Christ,"  and  "risen  with  him,"  they  have  sym- 
bolically put  him  on  as  their  representative  head;  in 
which  it  is  signified  that  they  are  made  "  partakers  of 
the  divine  nature"  in  him — are  clothed  upon  with  "the 
righteousness  of  faith"  in  him — "complete"  in  him — 
invested  with  the  exalted  relationship  of"  sons  of  God  " 
in  him — consequently  are  his. 

The  apostle  farther  argues  that  the  putting  on  of 
Christ  in  baptism  is  declarative  of  the  fact;  that  in 
him,  as  the  representative  head  of  believers,  all  former 
distinctions  are   removed ;  that  they  "  are  all  one  in  / 
Christ;"  that  they  are  his,  and  hence  owe  to  him  all  J 
possible  allegiance. 

Now,  this  passage  is  indeed,  as  before  indicated,  a 
comprehensive  statement  of  the  Christian  profession. 
The  putting  on  of  Christ  in  this  ordinance  is  predica- 
ted on  the  twofold  emblem  of  burial  and  resurrection. 
It  includes  specifically  a  profession  of  death  and  life 
with  him.  In  the  one,  the  believer  is  declared  no 
longer  a  servant  unto  sin,  because  dead  unto  it  and 


THIRD  CHARACTERISTIC  FEATURE.  103 

"buried  with  Christ/^  in  the  other,  he  is  declared  a 
servant  unto  the  Lord,  because  "quickened  together 
with  him  "  and  for  him.  Symbolized  as  washed  from 
his  sins,  he  is  declared  no  longer  "  his  own,  but  bought 
with  a  price,"  even  "  the  precious  blood  of  Christ.".; 

In  tins  ordinance,  the  believer  symbolically  presents 
himself  "  a  living  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord ;"  in  which 
he  acknowledges  the  inalienable  right  of  Christ  to  his 
service,  and  pledges  himself  to  be  his  by  an  everlast- 
ing bond  never  to  be  broken.  He  is,  in  the  most  sol- 
emn and  significant  manner,  in  this  ordinance,  repre- 
sented as  heeding  the  apostolic  injunction,  "But  yield 
yourselves  unto  God  as  those  that  are  alive  from  the 
dead."  (Rom.  vi :  13.)  * 

Section  2.  This  feature  of  the  design  of  the  ordi- 
nance is  very  clearly  set  forth  in  that  instructive  anal- 
ogy which  Paul  institutes  between  the  baptism  of  the 
Israelites  "  unto  Moses,  and  that  of  believers  into 
Christ :" 

"  Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye  should  be 
ignorant,  how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud, 
and  all  passed  through-  the  sea ;  and  were  all  baptized 
unto  Moses,  in  the  cloud,  and  in  the  sea."  (1  Cor, 
x:l,2.) 

Now,  while  there  is  no  express  mention  of  the  bap- 
tism of  believers  in  this  immediate  connection,  there  is 
evidently  an  implied  reference  to  it.  For  why  should 
the  apostle  be  so  solicitous  that  Christians  should  not 

••'  See  Appendix  F,  Section  1,  page  197.  Wayland,  Knapp, 
Matthew  Henry,  Broaddus,  Curtis,  Williams. 


104  DESIGN  OP  BAPTISM. 

be  ignorant  concerning  the  baptism  of  the  Israelites  ? 
Why  hold  up  their  subsequent  lives,  '^with  which  God 
was  not  well  pleased/^  as  an  example  of  warning  to  us  ? 
Why  say  that  their  "  lusting  after  evil  things,"  their 
idolatries,  their  uncleanness,  their  "  tempting  of  Christ," 
and  their  "  murmurings,"  in  which  they  had  so  fla- 
grantly violated  the  solemn  compact  entered  into  with 
Moses  in  their  baptism,  *^  were  written  for  our  admoni- 
tion?" (Yer.  5-11.)  He  doubtless  saw  a  striking 
analogy  between  the  two,  which  furnished  him  an  im- 
portant argument  with  which  to  enforce  the  claims  of 
those  obligations  to  Christ  which  believers  had  so  sol- 
emnly assumed  in  their  baptism. 

Let  us  observe  the  instruction  which  this  analogy 
affords. 

Moses  was  in  many  respects  a  remarkable  type  of 
Christ.  Chosen  for  this  purpose,  he  was,  by  divine  ap- 
pointment, constituted  leader,  commander,  and  law- 
giver in  Israel.  He  was  a  prophet,  also,  and  prophe- 
sied of  Christ,  saying  to  the  people,  "  A  prophet 
shall  the  Lord  your  God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your 
brethren  like  unto  me ;  him  shall  ye  hear  in  all  things, 
whatsoever  he  shall  say  unto  you."  (Acts  iii :  22 ; 
Deut.  xviii :  15,  18.) 

Isaiah  prophetically  represents  God  the  Father 
saying  of  the  Messiah,  "  Behold,  I  have  given  him  for 
a  witness  to  the  people,  a  leader  and  commander  to  the 
people  "  (Isa.  Iv :  4)  ;  and  in  accordance  with  this,  at 
the  time  of  his  baptism,  and  subsequently,  when  with 
Moses   and   Elias   on   the   mount   of  transfiguration, 


THIED  CHARACTEEISTIC   FEATTJEE.  105 

"  there  came  a  voice  from  the  excellent  glory/'  "  say- 
ing, This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased;  hear  ye  him."     (Matt,  iii :  17,  and  xvii :  5.) 

Paul  says,  "  There  is  one  Mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus."  (1  Tim.  ii :  5.)  "  Him 
hath  God  exalted  with  his  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince 
and  Saviour."  (Acts  v:  31.)  "He  is  head  of  the 
body,  the  church"  (Col.  i  :  18);  and  has  prefaced  the 
great  statute  law  of  his  kingdom  by  saying,  "  All 
power  is  given  unto  me,  in  heaven  and  in  earth." 
(Matt,  xxviii:  18.) 

Now,  the  baptism  of  the  Israelites,  though  a  result 
of  divine  and  miraculous  power,  was  in  itself,  so  far  as 
they  were  concerned,  an  emblematic  action,  designed  to 
express,  in  a  solemn,  imposing,  and  impressive  manner, 
their  subjection  under  God  to  the  leadership  and 
authority  of  Moses  as  the  divinely  constituted  law- 
giver in  Israel. 

Observe  the  manner  of  their  baptism  :  They  went 
down  into  the  opening  of  the  waters  of  the  Ped  Sea, 
which  God  had  effected  with  his  outstretched  hand. 
They  passed  through  the  depth  of  the  sea,  and  while 
the  waters  stood  piled  up  high  on  either  side,  and  the 
cloud  of  the  Lord  (symbol  of  his  presence)  intervened 
between  them  and  the  hosts  of  Pharaoh,  and  was  spread 
out  over  their  heads,  they  "  were  baptized  in  the 
cloud  and  in  the  sea."  They  were  buried  to  Egypt, 
the  land  of  their  bondage — to  the  Egyptians,  the  agents 
of  their  afflictions;  indeed,  they  were  entombed  to  the 
whole  world ;  and  presently  emerging  from  the  depth 


106  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

of  the  sea  to  the  other  shore,  with  Moses  at  their  head, 
they  rejoiced  in  the  great  deliverance  which  God  had 
wrought  for  them. 

By  their  burial  in  the  sea,  they  were  symbolically 
declared  dead  to  Egypt;  and  by  their  rising  up  on  the 
other  side  when  the  waters  had  rolled  together  over 
their  passage  way,  they  were  separated  forever  from 
allegiance  to  Egypt.  They  stood  forth  "  a  peculiar 
people,"  singled  out  and  separate  from  all  others — a 
new  nation,  with  no  other  recourse  than  to  follow 
Moses  through  the  wilderness,  to  learn  of  him  as  their 
prophet  and  teacher,  and  submit  to  his  authority  as 
their  lawgiver. 

How  strikingly  analogous  to  this  is  the  baptism  of 
believers  into  Christ !  They  go  down  "  into  the 
water,^'  as  did  the  eunuch,  and  are  "buried  with 
Christ  in  baptism,"  as  was  Paul  and  all  the  believers 
whom  he  addressed.  Presently  they  "come  up 
straightway  out  of  the  water,"  as  did  Jesus  and  the" 
eunuch — as  also  did  all  those  who  were  "buried  with 
Christ.'^ 

By  this  solemn  act  of  burial  they  are  symbolized  as 
dead  to  sin,  to  self,  and  to  the  world.  "  Through  the 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God,"  spiritually,  and  through 
baptism,  emblematically,  they  rise  up,  "as  those  that 
are  alive  from  the  dead,"  into  a  new  and  spiritual  king- 
dom. They  are  called  out  and  separated  from  all 
others — "  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a 
holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people" — and  from  their  hav- 
ing renounced  all  allegiance  "to   the   prince  of  the 


THIED   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATUEE.  107 

power  of  the  air,"  and  all  fellowship  with  sin  and 
the  w^orld,  there  is  no  other  recourse  for  them  but  to 
follow  Jesus  whithersoever  he  leads. 

In  this  solemn  act  they  publicly  give  themselves  to 
the  Lord.  They  take  his  yoke  upon  them^  in  token 
that  they  are  his  servants.  They  engage  to  take  his 
word  as  the  *^Man  of  their  counsel,  to  learn  of  him 
as  their  great  Teacher,  and  implicitly  to  bow  to  his 
authority  as  their  sovereign  Lawgiver  in  Zion." 

This  acknowledgment  of  allegiance  to  Christ  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  Christian  profession,  and  har- 
monizes with  the  whole  tenor  of  Scripture  teaching. 
The  profession  in  baptism  leaves  the  believer  with- 
out discretion  as  to  what  he  shall  be,  what  shall  he 
do,  or  whither  he  shall  go.  He  has  acknowledged 
himself  to  be  Christ^s  servant,  and  "not  his  own;" 
as  under  obligation  to  do  what  Christ  commands,  and 
not  what  flesh  and  blood  would  choose ;  to  follow 
where  the  truth  of  Christ  leads,  and  not  where  human 
wisdom  would  dictate.* 


See  Appendix  F,  Section  2,  page  200.  A.  Fuller,  Hinton,  Wal- 
ler, McKniglit,  Lynd. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

FOURTH   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  putting  on  Christ 
in  the  hope  and  full  assurance  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead. 

Section  1.  Hope  is  founded  in  promise,  and  can 
not  arise  in  the  soul  until  the  promises  are  believed. 
A  profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  therefore,  includes  a 
profession  of  hope. 

This  agrees  with  what  the  apostle  has  said  in 
Hebrews  x  :  22,  23,  where,  referring  to  baptism,  he 
teaches  by  implication  that  it  is  a  profession  of  hope : 
"  And  having  had  our  body  washed  with  pure  water 
let  us  hold  fast  the  profession  of  the  hope  without 
wavering.'^     (Revised  version.) 

The  same  apostle  elsewhere  says,  "  If  we  have  been 
planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  his  (Christ's)  death, 
we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection." 
(Rom.  vi :  5.)  That  this  passage  refers  to  the  import 
of  baptism  as  described  in  the  verses  immediately  pre- 
ceding, is  evident  from  its  conditional  character,  "  If 
we  have  been  planted,'^  etc.,  referring  to  the  burial  in 
baptism.  The  phrase  "  planted  together  "  is  a  figura- 
(108) 


FOUETH    CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  109 

tive  expression  founded  on  a  likeness,  and  thus  dis- 
tinguished from  an  emblematic  action.  The  believer 
is  here  contemplated  from  the  view-point  of  his  burial 
as  though  dead,  and  covered  up  in  the  grave.  The 
likeness  between  the  burial  of  a  believer  in  baptism 
and  the  planting  of  seed  in  the  ground,  is  sufficiently 
clear  and  distinct  to  justify  the  use  of  the  metaphor, 
and  the  meaning  of  the  apostle  is:  If  what  is  imported 
in  our  baptism  be  true — namely,  our  fellowship  and 
union  with  Christ  in  death — if  it  be  true  that  we  are 
"  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of  Christ "  (Rom.  vii : 
7);  "dead  with  Christ  from  the  rudiments  of  the 
world ^'  (Col.  ii :  20);  "dead  indeed  unto  sin  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ^'  (Rom.  vi :  11),  then  it  follows 
that  we  shall  also  be  united  with  him  in  the  resurrection. 

Two  facts  of  great  importance  are  implied  in  this 
expression.  It  is  indicated  that  the  believer,  by  his 
burial  in  baptism,  is  planted  in  the  likeness  of  Christ's 
death — figuratively  put  into  the  grave  with  him,  as 
being  partaker  of  his  death — and  is  hence  assured  of 
participation  in  his  resurrection. 

It  is  also  indicated  that  believers  in  the  aggregate 
(Paul  contemplated  all  as  "buried  with  Christ  in 
baptism '' — Col.  ii :  12)  are  "  planted  together  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death ; "  that  is,  all  are  figuratively 
put  into  the  same  grave  with  him,  as  the  members  of 
his  body  whom  he  represents  in  death  and  in  the 
resurrection.  This  important  fact  we  shall  have  occa- 
sion to  notice  again. 

The  passage  doubtless  refers  also  to  the  spiritual 


110  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

resurrectionof  the  soul,  "  tbroiigli  the  faith  of  the  oper- 
ation of  God,"  yet  inckicles  the  assurance  of  the  ulti- 
mate resurrection  of  our  bodies  from  the  grave. 

And  baptism,  from  its  symbolizing  Christ^s  resur- 
rection, is  also  a  symbol  of  ours,  and  of  the  ^'  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,"  and  hence  of  that  ''  lively  hope"  in- 
spired by  the  promise  that  ^^  he  who  raised  up  Christ 
from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by 
his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you  "  (Rom.  viii :  11) ;  and 
that  "the  Lord,  at  his  glorious  appearing,  shall  change 
our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his 
glorious  body."     (Phil,  iii :  21.)  * 

Section  2.  The  language  of  the  apostle  in  1  Corin- 
thians XV :  29, "  Else  what  shall  they  do  which  are  bap- 
tized for  the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all  ?  wdiy  are 
they  then  baptized  for  the  dead?"  evidently  stands 
connected  with  this  part  of  our  subject,  and  wall  here 
be  considered. 

This  passage  has  given  rise  to  much  exegetical  writ- 
ing, and,  according  to  learned  authors,  many  novel,  far- 
fetched, and  unsatisfactory  interpretations  have  been 
given  to  it.  Indeed,  it  would  seem,  from  the  concur- 
rent testimony  of  expositors  of  the  passage,  that  as  yet 
no  satisfactory  solution  has  been  given  of  the  difficul- 
ties contained  in  it. 

In  the  language  of  a  very  distinguished  author  and 
learned  expositor  of  the  passage,  "  it  is  manifest,  there- 
fore, that  if  any  interpretation  shall  ever  give  general 


*■  See  Appendix  G,  Section  1,  page  203.    Carson,  Lynd. 


FOUETH   CHAEACTEEISTIC   FEATUEE.  Ill 

satisfaction,  it  must  be  different  from  any  of  those 
which  have  been  heretofore  proposed,  and  there  are 
consequently  room  and  excuse  for  adventurers,  some 
of  whom  may  chance  to  succeed  where  far  abler  critics 
have  failed."  * 

It  may  not  be  inadmissible,  then,  for  one  of  modest 
pretensions  to  submit,  as  an  interpretation  of  this  diffi- 
cult and  interesting  passage,  the  result  of  earnest,  pa- 
tient, prayerful  study. 

The  passage  must  be  taken  in  its  most  natural  and 
literal  signification,  and  interpreted  not  exclusively  or 
even  chiefly  upon  the  basis  of  a  rigid  verbal  criticism, 
but  rather  by  a  strict  attention  to  the  scope  of  the 
apostle's  argument  in  this  place,  diligently  compared 
with  his  teaching  upon  the  subject  elsewhere,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  inspired  rule  of  interpretation,  '^  compar- 
ing spiritual  things  with  spiritual.'^    (1  Cor.  ii :  13.) 

The  ordinance  is  here  referred  to,  and  not  sufferings, 
metaphorically  styled  baptism,  as  we  think  the  sequel 
will  sufficiently  show. 

The  persons  designated  by  the  pronoun  "they''  are 
those  who  were  being  added  to  the  Corinthian  church, 
who  were  from  time  to  time  putting  on  the  Christian 
profession  in  baptism  :  "  Else  what  shall  they  do  who 
are  being  baptized,"  etc. 

"  The  dead  "  referred  to  are  the  dead  so  often  spoken 
of  in  the  context,  styled  "Them  that  slept"  (ver.  20); 
"They  which  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ"  (18);  "They 
that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming"  (23). 

*  Dr.  J.  L.  Dagg,  in  the  Religious  Herald,  of  Nov.  2,  1871. 


112  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

'^  The  dead,"  of  whom  the  objector  inquires,  "  With 
what  body  do  they  come  forth  ?'^  (35.)  The  interpre- 
tation of  this  phrase  offered  by  some — namely,  "  bap- 
tized as  dead,"  or  ^'  for  dead  " — is  strictly  no  interpret- 
ation at  all.  It  is  simply  an  erroneous  translation, 
unsupported  by  any  grammatical  principle  whatever. 
The  word  rendered  ''  the  dead  "  is  the  same  employed 
by  the  apostle,  throughout  his  entire  discussion,  to 
designate  those  in  their  graves,  and  who  shall  arise 
again,  differing  only  in  case,  and  can  by  no  process  of 
critical  torturing  be  construed  into  an  adjective. 

The  force  of  the  preposition  is  very  correctly  ex- 
pressed by  the  common  version,  which  is  also  sustained 
by  the  revised  version  :  "For  the  dead" — "for"  being 
used  in  the  sense  of  "  on  account  of,"  "  in  relation  to," 
meanings  of  the  preposition  which  run  into  and  are 
inseparable  with  the  "  for." 

The  whole  passage  is  sufficiently  literal :  "  Else 
what  shall  they  do  which  are  baptized  for  the  dead, 
if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all  ?  why  are  they  then  baptized 
for  the  dead  ?" 

There  is  an  important  sense  in  which  believers  are 
^'  baptized  for  the  dead."  The  Corinthian  Christians 
were  doubtless  well  instructed  by  the  apostle  himself 
in  the  doctrinal  import  and  scriptural  object  of  this 
ordinance ;  and  they  were  evidently  familiar  with  that 
especial  feature  of  its  object  to  which  allusion  was  here 
made,  otherwise  the  force  of  the  apostle's  argument 
would  have  been  lost  to  them  for  whom  it  was  prima- 
rily and  chiefly  designed.     The  passage,  in  the  connec- 


FOURTH  CHARACTEEISTIC  FEATURE.  113 

tion  in  which  it  stands,  is  the  statement  of  a  powerful 
argument  in  proof  of  '^  the  resurrection  of  the  dead/' 
and  an  overwhehning  rebuke  to  those  members  in  the 
church  at  Corinth  who  denied  the  truth  of  it. 

The  leading  object  of  the  apostle  here  was  to  set 
forth  and  confirm  the  truth  of  the  resurrection,  with 
the  view  to  repress  the  growing  heresy  in  the  church 
at  Corinth,  to  rebuke  and  silence  the  false  teachers  who 
had  corrupted  that  church,  and  reinstate  the  misguided 
membership  in  the  knowledge  and  belief  of  the  truth. 
For  tliis  purpose  he  introduces  two  great  arguments. 
The  first  is  essentially  fundamental  and  causal ;  the 
second  is  explanatory  and  declarative. 

The  first  is  founded  on  the  certainty  and  far-reaching 
consequence  of  Christ^s  resurrection  ;  the  second  grows 
out  of  this,  and  is  founded  on  a  specific  feature  in  the 
scriptural  object  of  baptism. 

To  perceive  the  full  force  of  the  apostle's  subsidiary 
argument,  out  of  which  grows  the  explanation  of  the 
passage  before  us,  we  must  carefully  observe  the  pro- 
gressive steps  in  the  argument  based  upon  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ. 

He  calls  attention,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  fact  that 
the  truth  of  Christ's  resurrection  is  essential  to  the  very 
nature  and  efficacy  of  the  gospel,  and  that  this  truth 
had  been  received  and  fully  acknoAvledged  by  them. 
(Chap.  XV :  1-4.)  He  alleges  that  the  apostles,  includ- 
ing himself,  with  many  others,  witnessed  the  ^'  infal- 
lible proofs  by  which  this  great  fact  was  sustained'' 
(5-8) ;  and  that  they,  the  apostles  who  were  the 
10 


114  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

chosen  witnesses  of  Christ's  resurrection,  had  not  only 
with  one  voice  proclaimed  the  fact,  and  as  said  of  them 
in  Acts  iv :  33,  "  with  great  power  gave  witness '^  of  it, 
but  that  they,  the  Corinthian  Christians,  had  most  cer- 
tainly believed  it.    (11.) 

To  give  practical  effect  to  the  foregoing  truths  he 
institutes  the  inquiry,  "  If  Christ  be  preached  that  he 
rose  from  the  dead,  how  (i.  e.,  on  what  ground)  say 
some  among  you  that  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the 
dead?''  (12.)  Let  it  be  observed  that  the  Corinthian 
Christians  acknowledged  the  truth  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection, and  practiced  baptism  in  their  profession  of 
Christianity,  as  explained  by  the  apostles  in  its  doc- 
trinal relations  to  that  great  truth ;  and  yet,  notwith- 
standing, '^  some  among  them,"  with  Sadducean  infi- 
delity, denied  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Hence  the 
inquiry  above,  which  implies  that  "  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead "  necessarily  follows  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  as  effect  follows  cause. 

And  so  the  apostle  argues,  not  only  from  the  effect 
to  the  cause,  but  also  from  the  non-existence  of  the 
effect  to  the  non-existence  of  the  cause. 

'^  But  if  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  then 
is  Christ  not  risen."  (13.)  This  he  repeats  the  second 
time,  to  render  more  distinct  and  emphatic  the  truth 
affirmed.    (16.) 

Upon  the  assumption  that  "the  dead  rise  not" 
(which,  if  true,  utterly  disproves  the  truth  of  Christ's 
resurrection),  he. reckons  the  consequences  to  be  disas- 
trous beyond  measure,  and  so  declares  them — namely, 


FOUETH  CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  115 

the  apostles  themselves  were  false  witnesses  of  God ; 
their  preaching  was  vain;  the  faith  of  the  disciples 
was  vain  ;  they  were  still  in  their  sins ;  ^'  they  also 
who  had  fallen  asleep  in  Christ  had  perished  "  (14,  15, 
17,  18);  and  the  hope  of  the  disciples,  in  view  of  the 
perils,  persecntions,  and  tribulations,  endured  because 
of  their  identification  by  profession  with  the  death  and 
resurrection  of  Christ,  furnished  neither  mitigation  in 
the  present  life  nor  promised  relief  after  death.     (1&.) 

At  this  stage  of  his  argument,  the  apostle  triumph- 
antly affirms  the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  an  established 
fact,  and  exults  in  his  representative  character : 

"  But  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become 
the  first-fruits  of  them  tliat  slept."     (20.) 

He  introduces  an  instructive  parallel  between  Adam 
and  Christ : 

One  the  head  and  representative  of  his  race  in 
death  :  "  Since  by  man  came  death." 

The  other  the  head  and  representative  of  the  race 
in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead ;  "  By  man  came  also 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead."     (21.) 

The  one  a  representative  in  whom  the  sentence  of 
death  inhered :  *^As  in  Adam  all  die." 

The  other  a  representative  in  whom  the  authorship 
and  power  of  life  was  inherent :  "  Even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive."     (22.) 

By  virtue  of  his  assumption  of  man's  nature,  he  rep- 
resents the  entire  race  in  the  resurrection ;  hence,  by 
him  "  shall  all  be  made  alive."  According  to  his  own 
words,  "  all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice, 


116  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  clone  good,  unto 
the  resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done  evil, 
unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation.^'  (John  v  :  28.) 
And,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Paul,  "  there  shall 
be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  un- 
just.'^    (Acts  xxiv :  15.) 

It  should,  however,  be  observed  here  that  the  apos- 
tle, throughout  the  whole  course  of  his  inimitable  ar- 
gument, teaches  that  Christ  is  especially  the  head  and 
representative  of  "  the  chosen  generation  '^  in  "  the 
resurrection  unto  life  '^ — those  whom  he  styles  ^^  The 
dead  in  Christ,^^  '^  They  that  are  fallen  asleep  in  Christ," 
"  They  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming,"  etc.,  who  are, 
by  faith,  united  to  him  as  their  spiritual  head,  and  whose 
resurrection,  the  apostle  teaches,  will  be  the  result  of 
that  glorious  union  :  ^^  And  if  Christ  be  in  you,  the 
body  is  dead  because  of  sin ;  but  the  Spirit  is  life  because 
of  righteousness.  But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised 
up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you,  he  that  raised  up 
Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal 
bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you."  (Rom. 
viii :  10,  11.) 

Hence  the  alleged  classification  and  order .-  '^  But 
every  man  in  his  own  order  :  Christ  the  first-fruits ; 
afterward  they  that  are  Christ's  at  his  coming."     (23.) 

The  argument  is,  that  the  resurrection  of  Christ  se- 
cures the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  that  being  "  the 
first-fruits,"  is  a  pledge  of  the  certainty  of  it. 

By  "  first-fruits,"  allusion  is  made  to  the  harvest  of 
grain,  as  in  the  saying  of  Jesus,  when,  in  a  figure,  he 


FOURTH  CHARACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  117 

refers  alike  to  the  fruits  of  his  death  and  his  resurrec- 
tion :  *'  Except  acorn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and 
die,  it  abideth  alone  :  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit/^     (John  xii :   24.) 

As  also  in  the  context :  "  And  that  which  thou  sowest, 
thou  sowest  not  that  body  that  shall  be,  but  bare  grain, 
it  may  chance  of  wheat,  or  of  some  other  grain/^     (37.) 

As  the  first  ripe  grain  gathered  in  is  the  promise 
and  pledge  of  the  harvest,  so  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
is  the  promise  and  pledge  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead. 

As  certainly  as  Adam  died,  all  his  posterity  die; 
and  as  certainly  as  Christ  arose  from  the  dead,  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  shall  take  place. 

Here,  instead  of  making  a  digression  from  the  main 
subject  of  discussion,  as  some  learned  w^riters  have  sup- 
posed, the  apostle  reaches  the  very  climax  of  his  great 
argument,  and  furnishes  the  key  to  the  solution  of  the 
difiicult  passage  before  us.  He  reckons  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  to  be  the  necessary  and  legitimate  result  of 
Christ's  mediatorial  reign  and  work — that  his  reign 
necessarily  follows  upon  his  resurrection — that  his  res- 
urrection declares  him  "  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with 
power,  according  to  the   Spirit  of  holiness.'^     (Rom. 

i:  4.)  _ 

"  For  to  this  end  Christ  both  died,  and  rose,  and  re- 
vived, that  he  might  be  Lord  (ruler)  both  of  the  dead 
and  living.'^     (Rom.  xiv  :  9.) 

He  moreover  teaches  that  ^'  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,^^  as  a  necessary  sequence,  results  from  his  reign. 


118  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

And  so  certainly,  that  "if  the  dead  rise  not,"  then 
there  has  been  no  mediatorial  reign ;  and  if  no  reign, 
then  Christ  has  not  risen,  and  all  is  thrown  back  into 
eternal  chaos.  But  in  view  of  the  infallible  proofs  of 
Christ's  resurrection,  and  the  grand  and  gh)rious  exhi- 
bitions of  his  reign,  the  apostle  triumphantly  claims 
that  "the  resurrection  of  the  dead''  will  be  the  last 
grand  demonstrative  display  of  his  power  and  glory 
in  subduing  all  things  to  himself. 

"  For  he  must  reign  "  till  he  hath  "  put  down  all 
rule  and  all  authority  and  power  "  which  stands  op- 
posed to  God,  and  until  "  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet."  '  "  The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  de- 
stroyed is  death."     (24-26.) 

But  death  is  only  destroyed  or  "  done  away,"  by 
raising  the  dead,  and  this,  according  to  Paul's  argu- 
ment, is  as  certain  as  that  the  risen  Redeemer  lives  and 
reigns. 

But  now,  in  immediate  juxtaposition  with  this 
climax  view  of  his  great  argument,  and  as  closely  re- 
lated to  it,  he  introduces  his  secondary  argument,  based 
upon  the  scriptural  object  of  baptism  :  "  Else  {i.  e., 
otherwise)  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all,  what  shall  they 
do  which  are  baptized  for  the  dead?  Why  are  they 
then  baptized  for  the  dead  ?" 

A  fact  of  great  importance  to  our  inquiry  is,  that 
the  apostle  constructs  his  argument  from  baptism  pre- 
cisely on  the  same  principle  that  he  does  his  great  ar- 
gument from  the  resurrection  of  Christ — namely,  "  If 
the  dead  rise  not,  then  is  Christ  not  raised."     In  like 


FOUETH  CHARACTEmSTIC  FEATURE.  119 

manner,  "  If  the  dead  rise  not  at  all,"  why  are  believers 
*'  baptized  for  the  dead  ?'' 

In  that  event,  we  have,  on  the  one  hand,  the  non- 
resurrection  of  Christ,  and  on  the  other  an  unmeaning 
and  an  absurd  ordinance.  Now,  why  this  coincidence 
in  the  two  arguments  of  the  apostle  ?  Why  put  bap- 
tism and  the  resurrection  of  Christ  in  the  same  relation 
to  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ?  Why  reason  alike  in- 
versely in  both  ?  And  why  descend  from  the  very 
climax  of  the  greater  argument  to  the  less  ? 

These  inquiries  have  their  sufficient  and  satisfactory 
answer  in  the  symbolic  relation  of  baptism  to  the  res- 
urrection of  Christ,  and  hence,  to  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and  also  in  the  anomalous  condition  of  the 
church  at  Corinth,  w^iich  rendered  the  reasoning  of  the 
apostle  so  peculiarly  applicable  to  them. 

It  will  be  seen,  through  the  entire  scope  of  this  dis- 
cussion, that  the  apostle  makes  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  the  procuring  cause  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  and  that  the  former  sustains  to  the  latter  the 
relation  of  cause  to  effect. 

The  resurrection  of  Christ  is  essential  to  and  secures 
his  mediatorial  reign.  The  resurrection  of  the  dead 
is  a  grand  and  glorious  achievement  of  that  reign. 
The  resurrection  of  Christ,  therefore,  is,  in  the  highest 
sense,  "for  the  dead,"  as  procuring  their  resurrection 
and  their  "  eternal  glory." 

But  baptism  is  a  putting  on  of  Christ :  "  For  as 
many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have 
put  on  Christ."     (Gal.  iii:  27.)     But  Christ  says,  "I 


120  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

am  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  In  putting  on 
Christ,  therefore,  we  put  on  the  resurrection.  And 
the  scriptural  baptism  of  the  true  believer  is  a  sym- 
bolic pledge  or  declaration  of  the  certainty  of  the  res- 
urrection.    It  is  therefore  ^'for  the  dead." 

In  explanation  of  the  design  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
Paul  says,  '^  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and 
drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he 
come."  (1  Cor.  xi :  26.)  So,  also,  in  the  constant  and 
oft-recurring  instances  of  the  scriptural  baptism  of 
believers,  they  do,  by  a  diviuely  appointed  monument 
and  symbolic  pledge,  show  the  certainty  of  "  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead,"  until  that  glorious  event  takes 
place.  It  is  therefore  ^'  for  the  dead,"  ^^  on  account  of," 
"  in  relation  to." 

"The  dead  in  Christ"  have  an  intense  interest  in 
the  resurrection.  In  the  development  of  their  joint 
glory  with  the  Redeemer,  the  resurrection  of  their 
bodies  will  be  the  grand  culminating  event  in  the 
annals  of  the  coming  world.  It  will  be  their  com- 
plete redemption — the  perfecting  of  them  in  the  like- 
ness of  Christ — tlie  consummation  of  their  adoption 
as  "  the  sons  of  Gods." 

,  This  is  the  apostle's  ultimate  and  joyful  conclusion 
in  this  wonderful  argument:  "There  is  (says  he)  a 
natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body."  "  And  so 
it  is  written,  the  first  man  Adam  was  made  a  living 
soul ;  the  last  Adam  was  made  a  quickening  (life-giv- 
ing) spirit."  "The  first  man  is  of  the  earth,  earthy: 
the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from  heaven."    "  As  is  the 


FOIJETH   CHARACTEEISTIC  FEATURE.  121 

eartliy,  such  are  they  also  that  are  earthy  :  and  as  is 
the  heavenly,  such  are  they  also  that  are  heavenly.'' 
"  And  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we 
shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly."  (1  Cor. 
XV :  44,  45,  47,  48,  49.)  Bearing  the  image  of  the 
heavenly  will  be  the  consummation  of  all. 

Paul  elsewhere  says,  "  Whom  he  did  foreknow,  he 
also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of 
his  Son,  that  he  might  be  the  first-born  among  many 
brethren.'*  (Rom.  viii :  29.)  Now,  God's  Son  "  was 
made  under  the  law,  to  redeem  them  that  were  under 
the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of  sons." 
(Gal.  iv :  4-7.) 

The  adoption  of  sons  is  co-extensive  with  the  re- 
demption through  Christ.  The  latter  extends  to  soul 
and  body.  The  former  includes  the  complete  assimi- 
lation to  the  Spirit,  and  to  the  glorified  body  of  the 
Son  of  God. 

The  redemption  of  the  body,  which  is  the  perfecting 
of  the  adoption,  is  styled  "  The  glory  which  shall  be 
revealed  in  God"  (Rom  viii :  18) ;  "  The  manifestation 
of  the  sons  of  God"  (viii:  19);  ^' The  deliverance 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  sons  of  God  "  (viii :  21)  ;  and  of  which 
the  apostle,  by  way  of  anticipation,  says,  "  Even  we 
ourselves  who  have  the  first-fruits  of  the  Spirit  groan 
within  ourselves,  waiting  for  the  adoption,  to  wit,  the 
redemption  of  our  body."     (Rom.  viii :  23.) 

It  is  that  event  of  surpassing  grandeur  and  glory 

to  which  the  blessed  dead  so  anxiously  look. 
11 


122  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

Now,  the  first-fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  "the  love  of 
God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  ^^  (Rom.  v:  5),  estab- 
lishing the  relationship  of  children :  "  Behold,  what 
manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  on  us,  that 
we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God.''  (1  John  iii :  1.) 
It  is  "  the  Spirit  of  God's  Son  "  "sent  forth  "  into  the 
heart  (Gal.  iv  :  6) — the  Spirit  of  adoption  :  "  For  ye 
have  not  received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  to  fear, 
but  ye  have  received  the  Spirit  of  adoption.''  (Rom. 
viii:  15.)  This  first-fruit,  which  is  the  soul's  assimila- 
tion to  the  moral  nature  of  Christ,  and  which  is  en- 
joyed in  this  life,  will  find  its  perfect  counterpart  in 
the  adoption — to  wit,  the  redemption  of  the  body  : 
"  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God ;  and  it  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be :  but  we  know  that, 
when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him ;  for  we 
shall  see  him  as  he  is  "  (1  John  iii :  2) ;  "  Who  shall 
change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body'^  (Phil,  iii:  21);  "  AVe  shall 
bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly."     (1.  Cor.  xv  :  49.) 

Now,  "the  dead  in  Christ"  though  perfectly  happy 
in  the  separate  state ;  while  they  behold  the  glorified 
body  of  the  Son  of  God,  the  glorified  bodies  of  Enoch 
and  Elijah,  and  of  the  saints  who  arose  at  the  time  of 
Christ's  resurrection,  thus  reminded  of  what  they  shall 
be,  are  filled  with  an  intense  yet  holy  desire  for  their 
complete  adoption.  It  is  this  which  David,  through  the 
Spirit  of  inspiration,  anticipates,  when  he  says,  "  As  for 
me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness :  I  shall  be  sat- 
isfied, when  I  awake,  with  thy  likeness."  (Ps.  xvii :  15.) 


FOUETH   CHARACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  123 

Complete  satisfaction  will  not  be  enjoyed  by  "the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect  '^  until  they  receive 
their  complete  adoption — "to  wit,  the  redemption  of 
their  body,^'  But  the  baptism,  of  the  believer,  while  it 
is,  by  divine  appointment,  a  monument  of  the  fact  that 
Christ  arose  "from  the  dead,  and  became  the  first- 
fruits  of  them  that  slept,"  is  a  symbolic  pledge  and 
declaration  of  the  certainty  that  the  dead  in  Christ 
shall  arise  and  share  the  complete  "  manifestation  of 
the  sons  of  God,"  It  is  hence  "for  the  dead,"  be-» 
cause  declaratory  of  the  certainty  of  that  event  which 
is  the  highest  glory  of  the  blessed  dead. 

Now,  the  righteous  dead  and  living  are  alike  the 
sons  of  God,  because  of  their  union  with  Christ;  and 
in  their  aggregation  as  "  by  one  Spirit  baptized  into 
(i,  e.,  merged  into)  one  body,  and  made  to  drink  into 
one  Spirit"  (1  Cor.  xii:  13),  are  styled  the  body  of 
Christ,  which  is  "  complete  in  him," 

Baptism,  from  its  unity  of  action  and  design,  is  a 
figure  of  the  planting  together  of  "  the  sons  of  God  "  "  in 
the  likeness  of  Christ's  death,"  and  also  of  their  rising 
up  together  "  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection."  (Rom. 
vi :  5.)  It  symbolizes  not  merely  the  resurrection  of 
the  individual  member,  but  more  especially  the  body 
comprising  all  the  members. 

The  believer  in  his  baptism  is  contemplated  as 
anticipating  death,  and  also  as  jointly  sharing  in  "  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  "  with  those  who  have  already 
"  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus."  His  baptism,  in  its  symbolic 
import,   so   far   as  the   resurrection   is  concerned,   as 


124  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

truly  relates  to  "  the  dead ''  as  it  does  to  Christ,  and 
to  himself.  It  points  significantly  to  the  one  simulta- 
neous event  in  which  both  "  the  quick  and  dead  "  in 
Christ  are  alike  intensely  interested.  It  is  therefore 
incontestably  "  for  the  dead.'' 

This  sense  in  which  baptism  is  "  for  the  dead ''  ex- 
plains the  coincidence  of  the  apostle's  arguments, 
affords  an  intelligent  and  satisfactory  reason  why  he 
puts  the  resurrection  of  Christ  and  baptism  in  the 
same  relation  to  "  the  resurrection  of  the  dead," 
since  the  former  is  both  the  ground  and  pledge  of 
the  divine  power  in  bringing  it  about,  and  the  lat- 
ter is  the  symbolic  and  monumental  pledge  of  its 
certainty. 

The  fact  that  "some  among"  the  Corinthian  Chris- 
tians denied  *^  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  while  they 
acknowledged  the  truth  of  Christ's  resurrection, 
and  practiced  baptism  in  its  doctrinal  relations  to  that 
great  truth,  gave  rise  to  the  apostle's  peculiar  method 
of  reasoning,  and  his  sudden  transition  from  the 
greater  to  the  less  argument.  His  mode  of  argument, 
from  its  adaptation  to  their  peculiar  circumstances,  was 
the  more  effectual  in  the  refutation  and  rebuke  of 
their  ruinous  heresy.  It  is  as  though  he  had  said, 
"  If  the  dead  rise  not,"  as  "  some  among  you  "  affirm, 
then  Christ  does  not  reign;  he  is  not  the  Mediator;  he 
has  not  arisen  from  the  dead.  For  if  it  be  admitted 
(as  those  heretical  members  did  admit)  that  Christ  lives 
and  reigns,  then  "  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  "  will 
certainly  follow :  "  For  to  this  end  Christ  both  died. 


FOURTH   CHAEACTERISTIC   FEATURE.  125 

and  rose,  and  revived,  that  he  might  be  Lord  both  of 
the  dead  and  the  living '^  (Rom.  xiv  :  9);  and  "he 
must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies  under  his  feet : 
the  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is  death. ^^  But 
death  is  destroyed,  or  done  away  by  raising  the  dead. 
Their  professions  that  Christ  had  risen,  that  he  lived 
and  reigned,  but  that  there  was  "  no  resurrection  of 
the  dead/'  were  shown  by  the  apostle  to  be  most  con- 
tradictory, and  their  heresy  was  shown  to  be  self- 
destructive.  In  the  event  that  the  dead  rose  not,  their 
baptism  was  shown  to  be  a  vain  and  meaningless  pre- 
tense. Their  baptism  in  symbol  was,  according  to 
apostolic  teaching,  a  public,  solemn,  and  practical  pro- 
fession of  faith  in  the  crucified  and  risen  Lord,  and 
included  the  hope  and  full  assurance  of  '^  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead.''  It  was  putting  on  Christ,  taking 
upon  them  his  name,  and  fully  identifying  themselves 
with  his  doctrine,  and  the  interests  of  his  kingdom.  It 
was  equivalent  to  the  declaration  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  whom  the  Jews  crucified,  had  "  risen  from 
the  dead,"  that  he  lived  and  reigned,  and  was  "  Lord 
over  all,  God  blessed  for  evermore." 

This  was  its  practical  import,  as  witnessed  by  Jews 
and  pagans.  It  was  therefore  at  once  the  signal  of 
persecution  from  both,  according  to  the  words  spoken 
of  Christ :  "  If  they  have  hated  me,  they  will  hate 
you  also."  Hence  the  inquiry  of  the  apostle, 
*^  What  will  they  do  who  are  baptized  for  the  dead, 
if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all  ? "  If  there  be  "  no 
resurrection    of    the     dead,"    what    will    compensate 


126  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

them  for  the  persecutions,  afflictions,  and  perils  to 
which  they  are  exposed,  because  of  what  their 
baptism  imports?  And  why,  asks  Paul,  do  we, 
the  apostles  and  brethren,  who  were  baptized  years 
ago,  "stand  in  jeopardy  every  hour?''  What  will 
compensate  us  for  the  bitter  persecutions  and  sore 
afflictions  we  endure  in  maintaining  our  profession, 
"if  the  dead  rise  not?"  Why  not  renounce  the 
profession  made  in  baptism,  and  rid  ourselves  of  "  the 
sufferings  of  the  present  time/'  A  profession  of  faith 
in  baptism  is  evidently  taught  in  these  words  of  the 
apostle;  and  this  effectually  sets  aside  the  supposition 
of  a  metaphorical  baptism.  A  baptism  of  sufferings 
would  necessarily  be  the  result  or  consequence  of  the 
jeopardy  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  :  whereas,  the 
baptism  of  the  text  was  evidently  the  occasion  of  the 
jeopardy  and  the  ground  of  their  exposure  to  suffer- 
ings, because  of  what  was  openly  and  declaratively  pro- 
fessed by  it. 

This  passage  furnishes  a  decisive  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  our  proposition,  that  the  great  object  of  the 
ordinance  is  to  make  a  public,  practical,  and  complete 
profession  of  Christianity,  while  the  specialty  of  the 
passage  itself  is  that  of  professing  hope,  and  the 
full  assurance  of  "  the  resurrection  of  the  dead/' 
This  explanation,  we  submit,  is  inherent  in  the 
argument  of  the  apostle,  is  inherent  in  the  words 
of  the  text  itself,  is  explanatory  of  all  its  parts, 
and  harmonious  with  the  whole  tenor  of  Scripture 
teaching.      It   must   therefore  be   the   true  sense   of 


FOUETH  CHAEACTEEISTIC  FEATUEE.  127 

the  passage.  It  has,  moreover,  the  additional  rec- 
ommendation, which  is  of  no  small  moment,  that 
it  brings  comfort  and  cheer  to  the  Christian,  and 
affords  to  his  soul  the  very  "marrow  and  fatness'^ 
of  the  gospel.* 


*See  Appendix  G,  Section  2,  page  204.    Qurtis,  Clarke,  Will- 
iams. 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

CONCLUDING   EEFLECTIONS. 

Section  1.  That  must  be  the  true  and  only  object 
of  baptism  which  harmonizes  in  all  its  representa- 
tions with  the  word  of  God.  Not  a  single  feature 
comprehended  in  the  one  great  object  of  the  ordinance 
is  wanting  in  that  harmony.  This  fact,  we  think,  will 
be  apparent  to  the  most  casual  reader.  These  features 
need  only  be  recalled  in  this  place  to  justify  the  truth 
of  the  observation.  The  Christian's  profession,  sym- 
bolized in  his  baptism,  contemplates  a  practical  deadness 
to  sin  and  separateness  from  the  world,  a  walk  with 
God  in  a  new  and  holy  life,  a  life  of  active  obedience 
and  joyful  submission  to  the  will  and  authority  of 
Christ — all  of  which  cheered  and  inspired  by  the  hope 
and  full  assurance  of  the  glorious  "  resurrection  of  the 
dead.''  These  features  not  only  harmonize  with  but 
even  comprehend  the  whole  scope  of  the  gospel  as  it 
relates  to  the  Christian  life. 

Baptism,  therefore,  in  its  emblematic  import,  com- 
prehends the  present  and  future  of  the  believer  in  this 
world,  and  the  consummation  of  his  glory  with  Christ 
in  the  world  to  come.  It  symbolizes  his  faith  jn  the 
(128) 


CONCLTTDING  EEFLECTIONS.  129 

great  doctrine  and  his  interest  in  the  glorious  results 
of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection.  What  wisdom  is 
displayed  in  its  appointment,  and  in  placing  it  at  the 
threshold  of  the  new  life  of  faith !  Contemplated  in 
its  relations  to  the  work  of  the  Redeemer,  as  commem- 
orating the  great  crowning  act  of  that  work ;  and  in 
its  relations  to  the  profession,  character,  and  life  of  the 
believer,  it  is  invested  with  singular  interest  and  im- 
portance, and  is  not  likely  to  be  overestimated.  It 
is  only  when  jostled  out  of  its  proper  place,  with  its 
scriptural  form  supplanted,  its  true  object  perverted,  or 
both,  that  a  false  estimate  is  placed  upon  it. 

Section  2.  The  form  or  mode  of  baptism  is  essen- 
tial to  its  design.  In  this  treatise  we  have  not  essayed 
at  any  time  to  argue  the  question  of  the  mode  of  bap- 
tism. We  have  proceeded  after  the  New  Testament 
style,  upon  the  assumption  that  it  is  an  immersion, 
and  can  be  nothing  else. 

The  action  employed  in  the  ordinance  has  been 
chosen  and  appointed  of  our  Lord  because  of  its  fitness 
to  answer  the  end  of  its  appointment.  That  fitness  is 
seen  in  the  beauty  and  significance  with  which,  as  a 
picture-like  representation,  it  sets  it  forth.  Now,  the 
object  of  its  appointment,  as  it  related  to  our  Lord 
himself,  we  have  seen,  was  a  symbolic  prefiguration 
of  his  entire  work — of  his  death,  his  resurrection,  and 
"the  resurrection  of  the  dead''  by  him — according  to 
his  own  words :  "  For  thus  (that  is,  in  this  manner,  in 
baptism)  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.^' 
The  baptism  of  Jesus  was  a  profession  or  declaration 


130  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

of  his  work,  of  which  his  death  and  resurrection  were 
the  culminating  acts.  What,  then,  but  an  entire  im- 
mersion of  his  body  in  the  watery  grave  could  picto- 
rially  represent  it? 

The  end  for  which  the  ordinance  was  appointed,  as 
it  relates  to  the  followers  of  Christ,  we  have  seen,  is  the 
making  of  a  public,  solemn,  and  complete  profession 
of  Christianity,  styled  by  Paul  "  a  good  profession  be- 
fore witnesses''  (1  Tim.  vi :  12),  and  summarily  stated 
by  him  to  be  the  putting  on  of  Christ :  ^'  Ye  are  all  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus ;  for  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on 
Christ."    (Gal.  iii :  26,  27.) 

To  "  put  on  Christ "  is  to  be  "  baptized  into  Christ." 
To  be  "  baptized  into  Christ,"  according  to  Paul  again, 
is  to  be  "  baptized  into  his  death  "  and  resurrection. 
(See  Rom.  vi :  3,  4 ;  Col.  ii :  12.)  Then  it  is  to  put  on 
the  likeness  of  his  death  and  resurrection,  and  hence 
the  likeness  of  life  from  the  dead. 

But  what  beside  the  immersion  of  the  believer  in  the 
appointed  watery  element  can  furnish  the  speaking 
picture,  which  declares,  **  This  my  Son  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again,"  and  now  stands  forth  as  a  new  man, 
pledged  for  Christ,  and  "  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ?  " 

Immersion  alone  can  furnish  the  symbolism  ascribed 
to  the  ordinance ;  and  all  those  portions  of  the  word 
of  God  which  relate  to  its  doctrinal  import  and  design 
have  their  only  clear,  scriptural,  and  satisfactory  ex- 
planation upon  the  basis  of  this  symbolism.  To  inter- 
pret them  in  disregard  of  this  plain  fact  is  to  incur  the 


CONCLUDING   REFLECTIONS.  131 

guilt  of  sophistry  and  "  handling  the  word  of  God 
deceitfully.^^ 

Section  3.  The  design  of  baptism  points  with  cer- 
tainty to  its  scriptural  form  and  subjects.  Its  object,  we 
have  seen,  is  a  voluntary  and  an  intelligent  profession 
of  Christianity,  founded  in  the  conscious  realization 
and  joyful  experience  of  personal  faith  and  hope  in 
Jesus  Christ.  It  is  evident  that  no  one  but  a  believer 
can  make  such  a  profession,  and  certainly  none  but  be- 
lievers are  required  to  make  it.  The  commission  of 
Christ  is  the  law  upon  this  subject.  This  commands 
the  baptism  of  believers,  and  none  others.  The  prac- 
tice of  the  apostles  and  first  Christians,  as  recorded  in 
the  "Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  is  the  authoritative  expo- 
sition of  this  law.  They  administered  the  ordinance 
to  none  but  such  as  professed  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

They  assume  a  most  fearful  responsibility,  therefore, 
who  claim  the  ordinance  for  unconscious  beings,  and 
perpetrate,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit,  that  for  which  they  have  neither  precept  nor  ex- 
am})le  in  the  word  of  God. 

No  less  fearful  is  the  responsibility  of  those  who  prac- 
tice the  form  and  formula  of  the  ordinance  upon  per- 
sons who  are  destitute  of  that  faith  which  distinguishes 
them  as  the  children  of  God,  as  regenerated  persons. 
For  it  is  certain  that  the  object  of  the  ordinance  ren- 
ders it  inapplicable  to  any  except  such  as  are  dead  to 
sin  and  alive  unto  God  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
or  such  as  are  saved  "  by  grace,  through  faith." 

The  design  of  the  ordinance  points  with  equal  defi- 


132  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

niteness  and  certainty  to  its  scriptural  form  or  mode. 
This  it  must  do,  since  the  form  was  chosen  and  ap- 
pointed of  our  Lord  because  of  its  adaptedness  to  repre- 
sent the  object  had  in  view.  There  is  a  perfect  agree- 
I  ment  of  the  mode  and  design. 

Whether  we  contemplate  the  ordinance,  therefore,  in 
its  one  great  leading  object,  or  in  the  several  specific 
features  of  that  object,  the  profession  of  life  from  the 
dead,  through  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  being  prominent 
in  every  view,  it  is  with  no  equivocal  testimony  that  it 
points  to  immersion. 

Sprinkling  and  pouring,  as  alleged  modes  of  bap- 
tism (to  say  nothing  of  the  folly  of  such  pretension), 
exhibit  no  fitness  whatever  to  symbolize  or  set  forth 
the  Christian  profession.  There  is  in  them  such  an 
evident  want  of  significance,  such  an  arbitrariness,  and 
such  an  incongruity,  that  the  most  uncultivated  person, 
sincerely  inquiring  the  way  of  duty,  and  left  to  his 
own  convictions,  would  never  mistake  them  for  a  divine 
appointment. 

It  would  greatly  promote  harmony  of  views  and 
unity  of  action  among  real  Christians,  in  respect  to  the 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  if  the  scriptural  object  of  bap- 
tism were  better  understood.  * 

Section  4.  The  scriptural  form  and  design  of  bap- 
tism are  both  essential  to  the  ordinance.  Our  Lord 
had  a  wise  and  gracious  end  in  view  in  its  institution. 
For  this  purpose  he  selected  that  form  or  action  the 


'  See  Appendix  H,  Sec.  3,  page  206.  J.  M.  Pendleton. 


CONCLUDING  EEFLECTIONS.         133 

most  suitable  and  expressive  to  declare  it.  "Where  this 
form  or  act  is  set  aside  and  another  substituted  in  its 
place,  the  ordinance  is  perverted,  its  true  object  is  lost 
sight  of,  the  authority  of  the  Lawgiver  is  disregarded ; 
it  becomes,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  human  insti- 
tution, and  is  by  consequence  a  nullity.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  form  or  act  of  the  ordinance  may  be  observed, 
but  if  even  mainly  for  a  different  object  than  that  re- 
quired by  the  Institutor,  it  is  equally  in  derogation  of 
"the  counsel  of  God;''  and  there  is  certainly  no  less 
criminality  in  disregarding  a  divinely-appointed  end 
than  in  setting  aside  a  divinely-appointed  form  or  act 
for  declaring  that  end.  The  latter  is  as  truly  subver- 
sive of  the  ordinance  as  the  former,  and  such  as  prac- 
tice it  for  another  object  can  lay  as  little  claim  for  its 
be,ing  a  divine  institution  as  those  who  change  its  form 
altogether. 

We  will  illustrate  this  subject  by  a  refernce  to  "  the 
Lord's  Supper."  Both  ordinances  are  applicable  to  and 
are  restricted  to  the  same  class  of  persons — namely,  be- 
lievers. The  simple  act  commanded  in  the  observance 
of  the  Supper  is  that  of  eating  the  bread  and  drinking 
the  wine. 

But  suppose  a  religious  congregation,  professing  to 
observe  the  ordinance,  should  substitute  a  fish  for  '^  the 
bread,'^  and  milk  for  ^'  the  wine,"  and  plead  in  exten- 
uation of  the  change,  that  these  were  alike  nutritious 
substances,  and  as  the  simple  command  was  to  eat  and 
drink,  it  was  a  matter  of  small  moment.as  to  what  was 
eaten  and  drunken,  what  conscientious  Christian  would 


134  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

not  denounce  sncli  a  procedure  as  a  burlesque  and  a 
grievous  outrage  upon  the  ordinance.  Prominent  over 
every  other  feature  of  perversion  would  be  the  utter 
disregard  and  contempt  of  the  authority  of  Christ,  the 
Institutor,  and  ^'  Head  of  the  church.^' 

But  suppose  that  bread  and  wine  were  used  as  the 
appointed  symbols  of  the  Lord's  broken  body  and 
shed  blood ;  but  instead  of  eating  and  drinking  with 
that  dignified,  decorous,  and  solemn  demeanor,  pre- 
scribed by  the  Head  of  the  church  for  "  the  household 
of  faith,"  they  should,  one  by  one,  by  pairs,  or  in  lit- 
tle groups,  come  in  and  eat  to  satiety  and  drink  to 
drunkenness,  none  waiting  for  others,  who  does  not  see 
that  such  would  justly  fall  under  the  censure  of  the  apos- 
tle, as  eating  and  drinking  condemnation  to  themselves, 
"  not  discerning  the  Lord's  body  ?''     (1  Cor.  xi :  29.) 

But  suppose  again,  that  the  bread  and  wine  should 
be  used  according  to  appointment,  and  that,  too,  with  a 
praiseworthy  decorum,  and  by  the  entire  congregation 
of  religious  persons,  but  with  the  definite  instruction 
from  their  teachers,  claiming,  indeed,  that  it  is  the 
teaching  of  the  word  of  God ;  that  the  Supper  must  be 
observed,  not  as  a  remembrancer  of  what  Christ  has 
done,  and  to  "  show  forth  his  death  till  he  come,"  but 
to  represent  the  work  of  the  Spirit  in  giving  '^  a  new 
heart,"  and  putting  a  new  spirit  within  us.  That  as 
wine  exhilarates  the  natural  temper  or  spirit,  it  is  a 
symbol  of  spiritual  influence;  and  as  bread  is  to  sat- 
isfy hunger,  and  an  appetite  is  necessary  to  the  rel- 
ishing of  bread,  so  likewise  bread,  in  the  Supper,  is  a 


CONCLUDIXG   EEFLECTIONa.  135 

symbol  of  spiritual  influence,  in  giving  a  relish  or  ap- 
petite for  spiritual  food.  Suppose  the  congregation  to 
receive  such  teaching,  their  teachers  to  administer,  and 
they  to  observe  the  ordinance  accordingly,  is  there  a 
serious-minded  and  conscientious  Christian  in  the  world 
who  would  not  denounce  such  conduct  as  a  gross  per- 
version of  the  ordinance  of  the  Supper,  because  subver- 
sive of  the  teaching  and  authority  of  Christ  ? 

To  change  the  form  or  object  of  the  Supper  is  to 
pervert  it;  to  render  it  nugatory.  This  is  no  less  true 
of  baptism.  Supplant  the  scriptural  form  by  some- 
thing else,  and  you  destroy  the  ordinance.  Reject  its 
scriptural  object,  and  substitute  a  device  of  human 
wisdom,  and  it  is  not  the  ordinance  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  the  paramount  duty  of  the  believer  to  follow 
Christ  in  this  ordinance,  just  as  he  has  commanded  it 
to  be  observed.  He  has  no  discretion  in  this  matter. 
It  is  the  prerogative  of  the  Son  of  God  to  command, 
but  the  duty  of  ^'  the  children  of  God  ''  to  obey.  It 
is  their  ready,  cheerful,  and  unreserved  obedience  to 
Christ  which  furnishes  the  highest  proof  of  their  spir- 
itual relationship  to  him  as  "  the  sons  of  God.'' 

"  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  com- 
mand you."  (John  xv  :  14.)  "  If  ye  love  me,  keep 
my  commandments."  (John  xiv :  15.)  "He  that 
hath  my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is 
that  loveth  me."     (John  xiv:  21.) 

They  have  a  fearful  account  to  render  to  the  Law- 
giver in  Zion,  "  who  will  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead, 
at  his  appearing,  and  his  kingdom/'  who  have  assumed 


136  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

to  legislate  in  his  kingdom,  and,  as  Calvin  acknowl- 
edges, have  "  granted  to  themselves  liberty  to  change 
the  ordinances  somewhat,  excepting  the  substance."  To 
change  the  ordinance  at  all  is  the  work  of  antichrist.* 

Section  5.  From  the  foregoing  discussion,  it  is 
certain  that  baptism  is  no  mere  ^'initiatory  rite,"  or 
"  door  into  the  church." 

Were  there  besides  a  qualified  administrator  of  the 
ordinance  but  a  single  individual  sinner  of  the  race, 
and  he  should  come  to  "  believe  to  the  saving  of  his 
soul,"  it  would  be  his  paramount  duty  to  profess  Christ 
in  his  appointed  way.  He  could  not  escape  the  obli- 
gation to  be  baptized  if  there  were  no  church  on  earth 
to  unite  with. 

Hence  the  baptism  of  the  eunuch,  of  "Saul  of  Tarsus," 
the  baptisms  administered  by  the  primitive  evangelists  in 
cities  and  countries  where  no  churches  were  as  yet  plant- 
ed; and  hence,  also,  the  baptisms  administered  by  our 
modern  missionaries  to  the  first  converts  in  heathen  lands. 

Baptism,  as  the  appointed  method  of  publicly  pro- 
fessing "repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  toward  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  is  equally  with  repentance  and 
faith  precedent  to  church  relationship,  but  no  more  a 
door  into  the  church  than  is  repentance  or  faith. 

The  assumption  that  it  is  an  initiatory  rite  for  in- 
troducing persons  into  the  church  is  without  Scripture 
warrant,  and  well  calculated  to  mislead.  It  is  an  as- 
sumption which  has  arisen  partly  from  false  conceptions 


*  See  Appendix  H,  Section  4,  page  206.    Owen,  Dana,  Eeynolds. 


CONCLUDING   REFLECTIONS.  137 

of  the  nature  and  character  of  a  gospel  church,  partly 
from  an  erroneous  interpretation  of  certain  passages  of 
Scripture;  as,  for  instance,  John  iii :  5:  "  Except  a  man 
be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven;'^  and  in  part  again,  from 
adopting  terms  and  phrases  borrowed  from  the  usage 
of  worldly  organizations. 

The  simple  idea  of  a  gospel  church  is  that  of  any 
given  number  of  spiritually-minded  persons  who  have 
"  first  given  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord  ^^  by  con- 
fesssing  with  their  "  mouths  unto  salvation,^'  and  put- 
ting on  Christ  in  baptism,  and  then  giving  themselves 
to  one  another  ^' by  the  will  of  God"  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  faith  and  fellowship  of  the  gospel. 
The  elementary  principle  of  church  organization  is  in- 
wrought in  the  heart  of  every  true  believer  when  he  is 
made  as  a  child  or  "  son  of  God,"  through  faith,  "  to 
drink  into  "  that  ^  one  ^  or  selfsame  spirit  of  lov^e  which 
"  is  shed  abroad  "  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

It  is  this  spirit  or  principle  of  kindred  affinity  which 
causes  any  number  of  Christ's  disciples,  in  any  given 
place,  according  to  his  instructions,  to  coalesce  as  kin- 
dred drops  of  water,  to  merge  "into  one  body  "  for  his 
glory,  for  the  maintenance  of  the  doctrine,  ordinances, 
worship  and  fellowship  of  the  gospel. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  the  great  principle  of  church 
organization  is,  by  the  grace  of  God,  perpetuated  in  the 
work  of  conversion.  But  no  company  even  of  really 
converted  persons  can,  on  the  principles,  precedents, 
and  practices  of  the  New  Testament,  organize  them- 
12 


138  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

selves  into  a  church  without  each  one  first  professing 
Christ  before  men  in  his  appointed  way.  Baptism,  it 
will  then  be  seen,  is  distinct  from  the  act  of  entering 
into  church  connection,  and  is  necessarily  precedent  to 
it.  By  the  appointment  and  the  irrevocable  command 
of  the  Head  of  the  church,  it  meets  the  applicant  at  the 
threshold  of  the  life  of  faith,  and  demands  submission  ; 
nor  will  it  abate  its  claims  by  any  plea  of  substitution 
or  alleged  previous  church  connection. 

In  the  uniform  practice  of  our  Baptist  churches,  the 
vote  of  the  church  approving  an  applicant  for  baptism 
(upon  the  presumption  that  he  desires  membership  in 
the  church,  and  for  the  sake  of  convenience)  is  at  the 
same  time  a  vote  approving  him  for  full  membership 
and  fellowship  when  baptized.  His  baptism  is  profes- 
sionally declarative  of  the  fact  that  he  is  in  the  kingdom 
of  Christ,  and  is  an  approved  candidate  for  admission 
into  any  local  gospel  church.  No  gospel  church  can, 
upon  scriptural  principles,  receive  any  one  into  her  mem- 
bership who  has  not  professed  Christ  in  baptism. 

Each  church,  therefore,  is  charged  with  the  respon- 
sibility of  judging  of  the  fact  whether  an  applicant  for 
membership  has  scripturally  professed  Christ  in  bap- 
tism. And  here  arises  the  inexorable  law  of  so-called 
"  anabaptism,"  alias  "  right  baptism  '^ — namely,  the 
duty  of  churches  to  see  that  such  as  are  received  into 
membership  with  them  are  scripturally  baptized ;  that 
is,  in  the  right  way,  and  for  the  proper  object.* 


See  Appendix  H,  Section  5,  Page  208.    Lynd,  Keynolds. 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.  139 

Section  6.  From  the  scope  of  this  discussion,  it  is 
manifest  that  baptism  is  not  designed  to  represent  the 
giving  of  the  Spirit,  nor  the  manner  of  his  work  in  re- 
generation, and  is  consequently  in  the  sense  of  proof  or 
evidence  (the  most  commonly  accepted  sense  of  the 
phrases),  neither  "  a  sign ''  nor  ^^seal  of  inward  grace/' 

We  have  shown  that  it  is  essentially  commemorative 
and  emblematic;  that  it  commemorates  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Supper  commemorates 
his  death ;  that  in  relation  to  the  believer  it  is  an  em- 
blematic act,  professional  or  declaratory,  of  the  fact  that 
he  is  "  alive  from  the  dead  f  that  '^  in  Christ  Jesus  he  is 
a  new  creature."  (2  Cor.  v  :  17.)  In  the  absence  of  any 
direct  Scripture  teaching  showing  that  it  represents  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  in  regeneration,  we  remark  that  it 
can  only  do  so  indirectly  or  incidentally.  In  its  sym- 
bolism it  is  retrospective  and  prospective;  it  looks  back 
to  the  resurrection  of  Christ  and  is  a  monument  of  it; 
looks  back  to  the  souPs  assimilation  to  the  moral  na- 
ture of  Christ  through  faith,  and  is  a  declaration  of  it ; 
it  looks  forward  to  ^'  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  and 
is  a  monumental  pledge  of  its  certainty ;  to  the  com- 
plete "  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  the  body," 
and  is  the  believer's  declared  hope  of  that  glorious 
event. 

There  are  two  grand  features  in  the  redeemed  life  of 
the  sinner :  his  spiritual  conformation  to  the  moral  na- 
ture of  Christ,  expressed  by  Paul  in  Romans  viii:  29 : 
*^  For  whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did  predestinate 
to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,  that  he  might 


140  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

be  the  first-born  among  many  brethren ;''  and  the  ulti- 
mate conformation  of  his  body  to  the  glorified  body  of 
the  Son  of  God,  declared  by  the  same  apostle  in  1  Cor. 
XV :  49 :  *^  And  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
earthly,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

Now,  baptism,  in  its  symbolic  import,  answers  to 
these  two  grand  features,  but  Christ  is  in  each  respect 
the  supreme  model,  and  it  is  the  resurrection  of  the 
Institutor  which  gives  the  ordinance  its  symbolism  and 
its  significance  with  respect  to  the  believer.  Now, 
these  great  features  in  the  redeemed  life  of  the  sinner 
are  indeed  the  product  of  the  Spirit's  work.  This  is 
plain  from  the  following  scriptures. 

In  respect  to  the  first,  Christ  says :  "  It  is  the  Spirit 
who  quickeneth."  (John  vi :  63.)  Again,  he  declares  : 
"  So  is  every  one  who  is  born  of  the  Spirit.^'  (John  iii :  8.) 
And  Paul  says:  ^'But  we  all,  with  open  face,  beholding 
as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into 
the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord.''    (2  Cor.  iii :  18.) 

In  respect  to  the  second,  Paul  affirms  :  "  But  if  the 
Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell 
in  you,  he  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall 
also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies  by  his  Spirit  that 
dwelleth  in  you."  (Rom.  viii :  11.)  So  it  will  be  seen 
that  "the  new  creature  in  Christ,"  in  his  present  spir- 
itual state  and  in  his  prospective  glorified  state,  is  the 
product  of  the  Spirit's  agency. 

Does  not  baptism,  therefore,  represent  the  work  of 
the  Spirit? 


CONCLUDING   REFLECTIONS.  141 

Not  Institutionally,  we  reply,  but  simply  incident- 
ally. The  Spirit,  in  his  gracious  work  of  quickening, 
renewing,  and  sanctifying,  has  respect  to  Christ  and 
his  work.  If  the  sinner  is  quickened  by  him,  he  is 
"  quickened  together  with  Christ.^^  (Eph.  iii :  4.)  If 
he  is  washed  by  him  (1  Cor.  vi :  11),  he  is  ^'  washed  from 
his  sins  in  the  blood  of  Christ. ^^  (Rev.  i :  5.)  If  he  has 
''a  new  spirit  put  within  him,"  it  is  "the  Spirit  of 
God's  Son  sent  forth  into  his  heart."  (Gal.  iv :  6.)  If  he 
is  newly  modeled  as  to  his  moral  nature,  it  is  after  the 
moral  image  of  Christ.  If  he  is  graciously  constituted 
a  new  man,  it  is  "  in  Christ  Jesus."  In  fine,  if  his 
*^  vile  body"  is  to  be  quickened  and  changed,  it  is  to 
'^be  fashioned  after  the  glorious  body  of  the  Son  of 
God."    (Phil,  iii:  21.) 

Christ  teaches  that  this  should  be  the  character  of 
the  Spirit's  work,  that  it  should  in  the  highest  degree 
'*  bear  witness  of  him  :"  "  But  when  the  Comforter  is 
come,  whom  I  will  send  unto  you  from  the  Father, 
even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the 
Father,  he  shall  testify  (bear  witness)  of  me."  (John 
XV :  26.)  "  For  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but 
whatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak ;  and  he 
will  show  you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me: 
for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto 
you."  (John  xvi :  13,  14.)  Peter  declares  that  the 
apostles  were  "  witnesses  "  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
and  bis  exaltation  as  "a  Prince  and  a  Saviour;"  and 
then  adds :  "  And  so  is  also  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Acts 
V ;  31,  32.)      In  every  instance  of  the  sinner's  being 


142  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

made  alive  from  a  state  of  death  "  in  trespasses  and  sins," 
the  Spirit  bears  his  divine  testimony  to  the  resurrection 
and  exaltation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  the  pro- 
duction of"  the  new  man''  after  the  image  of  the  risen 
Redeemer,  he  glorifies  Christ.  Now,  baptism  indeed 
pictorially  represents  the  believer  as  "  a  new  man  in 
Christ;"  and,  to  say  the  least,  there  is  a  beautiful  and 
entertaining  coincidence  between  the  product  of  the 
Spirit's  work  and  the  symbolic  representations  of  bap- 
tism. That  coincidence  arises  from  the  Spirit  conform- 
ing his  recreative  work  to  the  model  of  the  risen  Lord ; 
hence,  as  it  relates  to  baptism,  the  likeness  is  merely 
incidental.  But  the  relation  which  baptism  sustains 
to  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  is  institutional; 
hence  believers  are  said  to  be  "  baptized  into  Jesus 
Christ"  —  "baptized  into  his  death"  —  "buried  with 
him  by  baptism  into  death"- — "risen  with  him  in 
baptism"  —  "planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  his 
death  "---to  "  be  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection  " — 
to  "have  put  on  Christ"  in  baptism.  Were  there  no 
fitness  in  baptism  to  commemorate  the  resurrection  of 
our  Lord,  no  emblematic  significance  to  represent  the 
believer  as  alive  from  the  dead  and  inspired  with  the 
lively  hope  of  "  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  there 
is  no  evidence  to  believe  that  it  would  have  been  estab- 
lished as  an  ordinance ;  hence  the  likeness  between 
the  product  of  the  Spirit's  work  and  the  emblem  in 
baptism  is  merely  incidental. 

But  even  this  likeness  pertains  only  to  immersion. 
It  is  utterly  wanting  in  those  acts  which  have  been 


CONCLUDING   REFLECTIONS.  143 

substituted  for  immersion ;  hence  the  argument  claim- 
ing that  baptism  represents  the  work  of  the  Spirit, 
avails  nothing  to  those  most  interested  in  constructing  it. 
Besides,  the  claim  is  based  altogether  upon  a  ground- 
less assumption — namely,  that  the  symbolism  supposed 
to  be  furnished  in  sprinkling  and  pouring  relates  to 
mere  features  of  the  Spirit's  work  in  regeneration, 
whereas  the  symbolic  import  of  baptism  relates  to  the 
"new  man  in  Christ ^^  standing  forth  in  his  entirety, 
embodying  all  the  features  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit. 

The  zeal  displayed  by  the  advocates  of  sprinkling 
and  pouring  to  find  in  them  some  emblem  answering  to 
the  work  of  the  Spirit,  besides  revealing  the  purpose 
to  set  aside  the  baptism  instituted  by  Christ,  has  led 
to  the  adoption  of  many  erroneous  interpretations  of 
Scripture  pertaining  to  the  manifestations  of  the  Spirit 
and  to  the  confounding  of  things  that  are  distinct.  The 
passages  in  Isaiah  xliv :  3-5,  Joel  ii :  28,  29,  Acts  ii : 
17,  18,  are  instances  of  this.  Observe  the  words  of 
Isaiah  :  "  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed  and  my 
blessing  upon  thine  offspring,''  etc.  The  Spirit  is  here 
figuratively  said  to  be  poured  out,  in  token  of  the 
abundance  of  his  spiritual  blessings.  Xow,  this  phra- 
seology is  in  accommodation  to  our  modes  of  thought 
and  communicating  thought.  There  is  no  literal  pour- 
ing out  of  the  Spirit.  These  words  were  preceded  by 
a  similar  figurative  expression  used  to  indicate  the 
abundant  provisions  of  salvation  flowing  from  theatone" 
ment  of  Christ — viz  :  "  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that 
is  thirsty  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground.^'  (Isa.  xliv :  3.) 


144  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

The  figure  here  introduced  is  drawn  from  the 
refreshing  and  fertilizing  showers  of  rain.  The  show- 
ers come  down  from  above  to  bless  mankind ;  when 
caused  to  descend  in  copious  abundance,  are  said  to  be 
poured  out.  All  sj^iritual  blessings  descend  from  God 
above,  and  hence,  in  allusion  to  the  extraordinary- 
displays  of  his  power  and  grace,  the  Spirit  is  said  to 
be  poured  out.  The  result,  as  stated  by  the  prophet,  is 
further  proof  that  the  language  is  figurative  and  used 
to  convey  the  idea  of  the  abounding  of  spiritual  influ- 
ence based  upon  the  provisions  of  the  atonement.  He 
says:  ^^  And  they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the  grass, 
as  willows  by  the  water-courses;  one  shall  say,  I  am 
the  Lord's;  another  shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of 
Jacob ;  another  shall  subscribe  with  his  hand  unto  the 
Lord,  and  surname  himself  by  the  name  of  Israel." 
(Isa.  xliv:  4,  5.)  Here  he  prophetically  speaks  of  the 
multiplication  of  converts  and  their  being  heartily  dis- 
posed to  make  a  profession  of  religion. 

As  this  prophecy  received  its  largest  fulfillment  in 
gospel  times,  it  will  assist  in  explaining  the  words  of 
Joel  ii :  28,  29,  as  quoted  by  Peter  on  the  Pentecost, 
Acts  ii :  17,  18 :  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last 
days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all 
flesh  :  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  proph- 
esy, and  your  young  men  shall  see  visions,  and  your 
old  men  shall  dream  dreams :  and  on  my  servants  and 
on  my  handmaidens  I  will  pour  out  in  those  days  of 
my  Spirit :  and  they  shall  prophesy,"  etc.  The  extraor- . 
dinary  displays  of  the  Spirit's  presence  endowed  the 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.  145 

disciples  with  the  ability  to  proclaim  the  gospel  in  all 
languages.  This  greatly  amazed  the  multitude  :  but 
"  Others  mocking  said,  These  men  are  full  of  new  wine." 
(Acts  ii :  12, 13.)  Peter  denied  the  charge,  and  affirms : 
*'  But  this  is  that  which  is  spoken  by  the  prophet 
JoeP^  (Acts  ii:  15,  16)  j  and  declares  in  relation  to 
Christ :  ^^  Therefore  being  by  the  right  hand  of  God 
exalted,  and  having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this,  which  ye 
now  see  and  hear."    (Acts  ii :  SS.) 

The  result  spoken  of  was  indeed  a  baptism.  It  is  so 
called.  Referring  to  this  event,  Christ ^says,  "But  ye 
shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost  not  many  days 
hence*''     (Acts  i:  5.) 

Nothing,  however,  can  be  more  unscriptural,  or  ia 
itself  more  unphilosophical,  than  the  mode  of  reasoning 
by  w^iich  it  is  assumed  that  since  the  extraordinary  man- 
ifestations of  the  Spirit  were  called  a  baptism,  and  the 
Spirit  is  said  te  have  been  "  poured  out,"  that,  conse- 
quently, believers'  baptism  w^hich  Christ  enjoins,  must 
be  emblematic  of  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  and  hence, 
a  pouring  of  water  upon  the  candidate. 

A  few  facts  in  relation  to  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit 
will  show  the  fallacy  of  this  mode  of  reasoning,  and 
dispel  the  illusion  by  w4iich  so  many  have  ascribed  to 
baptism  an  unscriptural  object,  and  have  satisfied  them- 
selves with  an  unscriptural  act. 

First,  Christ  w^as  the  administrator  of  this  baptism. 
John  testifies,  saying,  "  But  he  thatcometh  after  me  is 
mightier  than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear : 
13 


146  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

he  (Christ)  shall  baptize  yoii  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
with  fire."  (Matt,  iii :  11.)  Mark  records  the  testi- 
mony of  John  in  the  following  words  :  ^'  I  indeed  have 
baptized  with  water :  but  he  (Christ)  shall  baptize  you 
with  the  Holy  Ghost."  (i:  7.)  Luke's  record  is  as 
follows:  ^*  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water;  but  one 
mightier  than  I  cometh,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  I 
am  not  worthy  to  unloose :  he  shall  baptize  you  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire.'^  (iii:  16.)  God  the 
Father  testifies  to  this  fact,  so  John  affirms :  "  And  I 
knew  him  not :  but  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize  with 
water,  the  same  said  unto  me,  Upon  whom  thou  shalt 
see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  remaining  on  him,  the 
same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 
(John  i :  33.)  In  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  Christ,  as 
Administrator,  is  contradistinguished  from  John  as  ad- 
ministrator of  water  baptism. 

Second,  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  extraordinary  displays 
of  his  pervading  presence  and  power,  supplied  the  ele- 
ment in  which  this  baptism  took  place. 

Spiritual  influence,  as  the  element  in  this  baptism, 
is  contradistinguished  from  water  as  the  element  in 
the  baptism  administered  by  John.  The  baptism  was 
"  in  the  Holy  Spirit."  The  original  words  are  so  ren- 
dered by  the  learned  revisers  of  our  "new  version." 
This  rendering  is  sustained  by  the  facts  in  the  case : 
"  And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  they 
were  all  with  one  accord  in  one  place.  And  suddenly 
there  came  a  sound  from  heaven  as  of  a  rushing 
mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were 


CO^^CLUDING   EEFLECTIONS.  147 

sitting.  And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues 
like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  each  of  them.  And  they 
were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak 
with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.^' 
(Acts  ii  :  1-4.) 

The  "  sound  from  heaven,'^  like  to  that  "  of  a  rushing 
mighty  wind,^'  was  the  token  of  the  Spirit^s  presence 
and  power.  Wind,  as  a  natural  element,  is  employed 
in  the  Scriptures  as  a  symbol  to  represent  the  Spirit. 
(Ezekiel  xxvii :  9  ;  John  iii :  8.)  Indeed,  the  same 
word  in  the  original  is  used  to  denote  both.  It  is 
evident,  therefore  that  the  presence  and  power  of 
the  Spirit  on  that  occasion  were  as  extensive  and 
pervading  as  the  sound.  The  ^'  sound  from  heaven 
filled  all  the  house  where  they  (the  disciples)  were 
sitting." 

The  Spirit  overshadowed  them,  surrounded  them, 
submerged  them  with  his  presence  and  power,  so  that 
"they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  This 
was  a  real  immersion  in  a  spiritual  element.  The 
pouring  out  of  the  Spirit  and  the  baptism  in  the  Spirit 
were  as  truly  distinct  as  the  fall  of  rain  from  the  clouds 
and  an  immersion  in  a  pool  filled  with  water  by  the 
rain. 

The  "  pouring  out "  is  a  figurative  expression,  referring 
to  the  sending  of  the  Spirit  :  "  Whom  the  father  Avill 
send  in  my  name  "  (John  xiv  :  26)  ;  as  though  "  the 
windows  of  heaven  "  were  opened,  and  in  copious  abun- 
dance his  influences  were  "  shed  forth." 

Baptism  of  the  Spirit  refers  to  the  superabounding, 


148  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

pervading,  controlling  presence  of  the  Spirit,  under 
which  the  disciples  were  brought. 

The  only  baptism  ascribed  to  the  Spirit  as  Adminis- 
trator is  in  a  metaphor  :  ^'  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all 
baptized  into  one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gen- 
tiles, whether  we  be  bond  or  free ;  and  have  been  all 
made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit.'^  (1  Cor.  xii :  IS.) 
The  simple  meaning  of  this  passage  is  that  the  Holy 
Spirit,  by  giving  to  each  one  "  a  new  heart,'^  and  caus- 
ing each  one  to  drink  into  the  same  spirit  of  filial  love 
to  the  Father,  through  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  remov- 
ing from  the  sphere  of  fellowship  all  mere  outward 
distinctions,  merges  all  into  one  common  relationship — 
that  of  children ;  and  by  virtue  of  that  relationship, 
into  one  common  body — the  body  of  Christ.  (See  the 
context.) 

Third,  the  object  of  this  baptism  w^as  to  qualify  the 
disciples  in  an  extraordinary  manner  to  be  witnesses 
for  Christ  for  the  confirmation  of  his  gospel.  This 
the  Saviour  himself  indicated  when  on  the  mount  of 
ascension  he  spake  to  them,  saying,  ^'  Thus  it  is  writ- 
ten, and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to  suffer,  and  to  rise 
from  the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among 
all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  And  ye  are  wit- 
nesses of  these  things.  And,  behold,  I  send  the  prom- 
ise of  my  Father  upon  you  :  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on 
high.''     (Luke  xxiv  :  46-49.) 

While  other  extraordinary  effects  were  attendant  upon 


COXCLUDIXG   REFLECTIONS.  149 

the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  the  gift  of  tongues  was  its 
distinguishing  characteristic  : 

"And  there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as 
of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  each  of  them.  And  they  were 
all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak 
with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.^' 
(Acts  ii :  3,  4.)  "  And  there  were  dwelling  at  Jeru- 
salem Jews,  devout  men,  out  of  every  nation  under 
heaven.  Now  when  this  was  noised  abroad,  the  mul- 
titude came  together,  and  were  confounded,  because 
that  every  man  heard  them  speak  in  his  own  language. 
And  they  were  all  amazed  and  marveled,  saying  one  to 
another.  Behold,  are  not  all  these  which  speak  Gali- 
leans? And  how  hear  we  every  man  in  our  own 
tongue,  wherein  we  were  born  f^  (5,  6,  7,  8.)  While 
Peter  preached  the  gospel  to  the  first  Gentile  converts 
in  the  house  of  Cornelius,  "  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on 
all  them  which  heard  the  word.  And  they  of  the  cir- 
cumcision which  believed  were  astonished,  as  many  as 
came  with  Peter,  because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was 
poured  out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  they 
heard  them  speak  with  tongues,  and  magnify  God." 
(Acts  X :  44-46 ;  xv :  7,  8.)  When  Paul  had  ex- 
pounded to  the  twelve  disciples  at  Ephesus  the  nature 
of  John^s  baptism,  which  only  they  knew,  and  "they 
were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And 
when  Paul  had  laid  his  hands  upon  them,  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  on  them  ;  and  they  spake  with  tongues, 
and  prophesied."     (Acts  xix:  5,  6.) 

The  many  references  to  the  gift  of  tongues  as  exer- 


150  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

cised  by  the  Corinthian  Christians,  which  the  apostle 
makes  in  the  twelfth,  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  chapters 
of  his  first  epistle  to  that  church,  show  that  he  regarded 
it  as  a  first-fruit,  and  the  distinguishing  characteristic 
of  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit ;  that  its  great  object  was 
the  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel ;  and  that 
he  regarded  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  as  distinct  from 
regeneration  by  the  Spirit. 

It  was  the  most  novel  and  astonishing  scene  ever 
witnessed  on  earth  when  a  few  plain  and  unlearned  men, 
without  hesitation  or  embarrassment,  would  arise  on 
any  or  all  occasions,  and  proclaim  the  "  glorious  gos- 
pel "  of  ^^  the  Son  of  God  "  in  all  the  languages  spoken 
by  the  nations.  A  more  wonderful  proof  of  the  truth 
and  divine  authority  of  the  gospel  could  not  be  con- 
ceived. 

Hence  says  Paul,  "  Tongues  are  for  a  sign,  not  to 
them  which  believe,  but  to  them  which  believe  not.'' 
(1  Cor.  xiv:  22.)  He  clearly  distinguishes,  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter,  between  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit, 
and  regeneration  by  the  Spirit.  The  gift  of  tongues  is 
that  which  chiefly  distinguishes  the  former ;  ^'  the  love 
of  God,  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  "  is  that  which  chiefly 
distinguishes  the  latter.  Though  the  former  gift 
should  be  possessed  and  exercised  in  the  absence  of 
the  latter,  it  would  avail  nothing. 

It  Is  the  love  of  God  reigning  in  the  heart  and  ex- 
emplified in  the  life  which  demonstrates  *^  the  more 
excellent  way  :"  "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues 
of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  love,  I  am  become 


CONCLUDING   REFLECTIONS.  151 

as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal. '^  (1  Cor. 
xiii :  1.)  "  Love  never  fuileth  :  but  whether  there  be 
prophecies,  they  shall  fail;  whether  there  be  tongues, 
they  shall  cease  ;  whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall 
vanish  away."  (8.)  "And  now  abideth  faith,  hope, 
love,  these  three ;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love.'' 
(13.) 

Much  error  and  confusion  of  ideas  have  arisen  from 
confounding  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit  with  regenera- 
tion by  the  Spirit.  The  baptism  of  the  Spirit  never  oc- 
curred till  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  ceased  wdth  the 
apostolic  age.  Regeneration  by  the  Spirit  is  coexten- 
sive with  the  work  of  redemption. 

Many  writers  and  public  speakers,  from  inverting 
the  scriptural  order  of  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit — making 
the  Spirit  administrator  instead  of  Christ,  overlooking 
the  fact  that  the  Spirit  supplied  the  element  in  which 
the  baptism  took  place,  that  its  object  was  the  extraor- 
dinary endowing  of  the  disciples  for  the  confirmation 
of  the  gospel,  confounding  it  with  regeneration  and 
with  the  descent  of  the  Spirit,  figuratively  expressed 
by  a  pouring  out^ — have  imagined  the  baptism  of  be- 
lievers in  water  designed  to  represent  the  baptism  of 
the  Spirit ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit, 
and  regeneration  in  their  view  are  one  and  the  same 
thing,  baptism,  hence,  symbolizes  the  w^ork  of  the 
Spirit,  and  is  supposed  to  be  invested  with  a  peculiar 
efficacy,  "a  magical  influence,  a  charm;''  hence,  "a 
sign  or  seal  of  regenerating  or  covenant  grace."  This 
declaration,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  made,  is  utterly 


152  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

unwarranted.  The  phrase  is  both  unscrlptural  and  il- 
lusive, and  teaches  by  implication  a  doctrine  which  is 
subversive  of  the  doctri  nes  of  grace.  It  is  borrowed  from 
the  Jewish  ceremonial  of  circumcision,  upon  the  as- 
sumption that  baptism  came  in  the  room  of  circum- 
cision. 

The  Scriptures  nowhere  teach,  either  directly  or 
by  implication,  that  baptism,  in  the  sense  of  proof  or 
evidence,  is  "  a  sign  of  inward  grace/^  or  a  gracious 
state  of  heart.  They  could  not  teach  it  for  the  mani- 
fest reason  that  it  would  be  as  liable  to  prove  a  false  as 
a  true  sign.  It  is  called  a  figure  of  salvation,  because, 
in  a  beautiful  and  striking  emblem,  it  represents  the 
believer  as  "  alive  from  the  dead.^^  For  this  same  rea- 
son it  is  called  a  burial  and  rising  with  Christ. 

Now,  while  it  is  professionally  declared  in  baptism 
that  the  person  baptized  is  "  alive  from  the  dead,^^  his 
baptism  can  really  be  no  essential  proof  of  the  fact,  for 
the  truth  of  the  profession  is  to  be  proven  in  subsequent 
life.  Such  language  is  very  deceptive,  and  well  calcu- 
lated to  lead  into  error.  Baptism,  moreover,  is  no 
"seal  of  inward  grace;''  it  seals  nothing. 

The  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament  is  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  seals  the  heirs  of  promise  :  "  In  whom  also,  after 
that  ye  believed,  ye  were  sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit 
of  promise.''  (Eph.  i :  13.)  ^*  And  grieve  not  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God,  by  whom  ye  are  sealed  unto  the 
day  of  redemption."     (Eph.  iv  :  30.) 

The  sealing  of  the  Spirit  is  indicated  by  such  pas- 
sages as  the  following  :  ^'  And  because  ye  are  sons,  God 


COXCLUDIXG    REFLECTIONS.  153 

hath  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  Into  your  hearts, 
crying,  Abba,  Father.'^  (Gal.  iv  :  6.)  "The  Spirit 
itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God/'  (Rom.  viii  :  16.)  "For  as  many 
as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of 
God.''  (Eora.  viii :  14.)  "But  if  the  Spirit  of  him 
that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwell  in  you,  he 
that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken 
your  mortal  bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  you." 
(Rom.  viii :  11.) 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  Spirit  seals  the  heirs  of 
promise  "unto  the  day  of  redem})tion,"  unto  the  time 
of  the  complete  adoption.  What  supreme  folly  to  put  an 
act  of  the  creature  for  the  work  of  the  Spirit!  * 

Section  7.  From  its  emblematic  import,  the  baptism 
of  the  believer  very  fitly  and  fully  expresses  the  fact 
that  he  has  taken  upon  him  the  yoke  of  Christ  The 
yoke  is  an  instrument  by  which  men  subdue  and  ren- 
der subservient  to  their  will  and  purposes  the  inferior  ani- 
mals. When  men  themselves  are  reduced  to  a  state 
of  slavery,  are  subordinated  to  the  will,  and  In  anywise 
are  obligated  to  render  service  to  their  fellow-men,  they 
are  said  to  be  under  the  yoke :  "  Let  as  many  servants 
as  are  under  the  yoke  count  their  own  masters  worthy 
of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of  God  and  his  doctrine  be 
not  blasphemed."     (1  Tim.  vi :  i.) 


*  See  Appendix  H,  Section  6,  page  208.  Calvin,  Dwight;  "Pres- 
byterian Confession  of  Faith  ;"  "  Confession  of  Faith  of  CJmrch  of 
Scotland  ;"  the  "Thirty-nine  articles  of  the  Church  of  England;" 
Neander,  Wesley,  Crawford. 


154  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

Taking  the  word  In  its  ordinary  use  and  signification, 
our  Saviour  employs  it  figuratively  to  indicate  that  sub- 
mission to  his  authority,  that  obedience  to  his  will,  and 
obligation  to  render  service,  which  his  followers  owe  to 
him.  He  says:  ^'Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learu 
of  me."  ^^For  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is 
light."     (Matt,  xi :  29,  30.) 

This  demand  he  makes  at  the  threshold  of  the  life  of 
faith.  The  order  of  exercises  and  the  very  point  of 
time  are  so  plainly  and  definitely  expressed  that  there 
need  be  no  misapprehension  as  to  the  persons  addressed, 
and  of  whom  the  demand  is  made.  '^  Come  unto  me 
(he  says),  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,"  etc. 
(Matt,  xi :  28,  29.) 

Referring  to  the  frequent  and  oft-recurring  instances 
of  men  and  women,  either  in  the  journey  or  amid  the 
struggles  of  poverty  and  want,  toiling,  bending,  even 
groaning  under  their  daily  burdens,  he  identifies  the 
awakened  sinner,  conscious  of  his  guilt,  agonizing 
with  sorrow  of  heart  toward  God,  under  his  accumu- 
lated sins,  heavily  laden,  and  laboring  for  deliver- 
ance, and  says,  "  Come  unto  me  .  . .  and  I  will  give  you 
rest." 

Whatever  other  exercises  may  be  attendant  upon 
the  penitent  sinners  coming  to  Christ,  faith  is  that  which* 
chiefly  distinguishes  it.  Faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  looking  to  him  for  deliverance  from  the  burden  of 
sin  and  for  eternal  life:  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."      (Acts  xvi :    3L) 


CONCLUDING   EEFLECTIONS.  155 

When  the  bitten  Israelite  looked  upon  the  brazen  serpent, 
he  lived.  When  the  penitent  sinner,  conscious  of  the 
bite  of  sin,  and  agonizing  under  its  deadly  poision,  looks 
to  Jesus,  he  lives  ;  he  is  delivered  from  his  grievous  bur- 
den ;  he  realizes  the  fact  in  his  joyful  experience  of 
pardoned  sin  and  peace  with  God  :  ^'  Therefore,  being 
justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  (Rom.  v  :  1.)  The  peace  of  soul 
he  experiences,  as  a  fruit  of  justification,  sanctifi cation, 
and  adoption,  is  that  rest  he  finds  in  coming  to  Jesus. 
But  at  this  threshold  of  his  newly-begun  spiritual  life, 
Christ  meets  him  w^ith  the  demand  :  "  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you.'^  This,  it  must  be  admitted,  is  the  requisi- 
tion of  an  act  which  is  the  first  open,  public  acknowl- 
edo;ment  of  the  will  and  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  as 
supreme,  and  of  obedience  unto  him  as  paramount  to  , 
all  other  engagements.  It  is  an  act  in  wliich  tlie  be- 
liever acknowledges  himself  the  servant  of  the  Lord, 
having  come  under  liis  yoke. 

What  act  can  that  be?  We  have  the  most  definite 
instruction  identifying  it.  Says  Jesus  :  "  Go,  disciple 
all  nations,  baptizing  them"  (Matt,  xxviii :  19);  "Go 
ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature;  lie  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be 
saved."  (Mark  xvi :  15,  16.)  Apostolic  and  primitive 
practice,  as  recorded  in  the  inspired  Word,  is  our  au- 
thoritative exposition  of  this  law  of  the  Head  of  the 
church.  Penitent  sinners  were  baptized  according  to 
that  law  immediately  upon  their  believing  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Christ  addresses  all  such,  saying:  "If 


156  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

any  man  will  serve  me,  let  him  follow  me;"  "If  ye 
love  me,  keep  my  commandments.^^ 

Baptism  is  a  positive  command  which  he  has  given 
the  believer.  He  himself  was  baptized,  making  sym- 
bolically a  profession  or  declaration  of  his  work  at  his 
public  entrance  upon  it,  and  in  this  respect  "  leaving 
us  an  example  (as  well  as  command)  that  we  should 
follow  in  his  steps.^' 

Baptism,  as  a  positive  command,  meets  the  believer 
at  the  threshold  of  his  newly-begun  life  of  faith,  under 
the  identical  circumstances  and  at  the  very  identical 
point  of  time  at  which  he  is  required  to  take  the  yoke 
of  Christ  upon  him ;  and  it  would  seem  that  these 
words  of  our  Saviour  addressed  to  the  penitent  were 
anticipatory  of  the  terms  of  the  commission  which  he 
gave  to  his  church  at  his  ascension  :  "  Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of 
me,"  etc. 

Three  things  are  here  expressly  specified  :  Coming  to 
Christ,  which  is  by  faith  ;  taking  his  yoke  upon  them; 
and  learning  of  him.  With  these  agree  the  specifica- 
tions of  the  great  commission:  "Go,  disciple" — "He 
that  believeth  is  discipled" — "Baptizing  them,  teach- 
ing them,"  etc. 

Baptism  is  required  of  the  believer  just  where  and 
when  he  is  required  to  take  the  yoke  of  Christ  upon 
him.     In  import,  they  must  therefore  agree. 

Now,  we  have  seen  that  a  very  prominent  and  an 
important   feature   in  the  great  design  of  this  ordi- 


COXCLUDING   REFLECTIOXS.  157 

nance  is  to  symbolize  the  believer  yielding  his  unre- 
served and  supreme  allegiance  to  Christ;  acknowledg- 
ing the  supremacy  of  his  authority  and  will,  and  the 
paramount  duty  of  obedience  to  his  commands.  Noth- 
ing, indeed,  can  so  aptly  and  beautifully  represent  the 
believer  taking  upon  him  the  yoke  of  Christ.  Time 
and  opportunity  being  aiForded  to  learn  the  will  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  do  that  will,  it  is  the  imperative  duty 
of  every  believer  to  take  the  yoke  of  Christ  upon  him 
in  this  declarative  and  professional  ordinance. 

It  may  be  the  immediate  personal  duty  of  many  who 
may  chance  to  read  these  pages ;  a  duty  which  can  not 
be  innocently  disregarded ;  one  which  respects,  first  of 
all  and  chiefly,  him  who  has  *^  done  great  things  for 
you,  whereof  you  are  glad,''  and  in  remembrance  of 
wdiich  you  have  so  often  promised  that  you  would  "pay 
your  vows  unto  the  Lord,  in  the  presence  of  his  people." 
Your  irresolution  and  inaction  in  this  respect  is  dishon- 
orable to  the  Lord,  deleterious  to  your  piety,  an  incu- 
bus upon  the  growth  and  development  of  your  Chris- 
tian life,  and,  persisted  in,  may  prove  in  the  end  that 
your  faith  was  presumption,  your  hope  a  baseless  ex- 
pectation, and  your  cherished  notions  of  love  to  Jesus 
and  devotion  to  his  cause  the  mere  ideal  of  a  deceived 
heart.  It  is  no  doubt  to  you  a  cross,  but  this  is  that 
which  you  must  "  take  up  :"  "  If  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  me.''    (Matt,  xvi ;  24.) 

These  words  may  be  equally  applicable  to  other 
classes  of  my  readers;  and  should  this  little  volume  fall 


158  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

into  the  hands  of  pious  Pedobaptists,  who  have  satisfied 
themselves  with  their  infant  baptism,  or  with  an  act  of 
sprinkling  or  pouring  in  adult  age  ;  or  into  the  hands  of 
any  truly  converted  persons  of  any  sect  or  order,  who 
have  been  immersed  for  other  purposes  than  that  of 
making  a  public  solemn  and  practical  profession  of  their 
faith  in  Christ,  they  will  '^  suffer  the  word  of  exhorta- 
tion," from  one  who  addresses  them  in  love,  "  for  the 
truth's  sake  which  dwelleth  in  them." 

He  would  submit  in  these  closing  remarks  the  sol- 
emn and  evident  truth  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
who  only  can  speak  ^*  as  having  authority,"  "  who  is 
Lord  over  all,"  and  "  Head  of  the  body,  the  church" — 
requires  that  when  you,  as  a  penitent  sinner,  come  to 
exercise  faith  in  his  name,  you  shall  then  and  there, 
in  baptism,  profess  him  publicly  "before  witnesses." 
He  commands  that  you  shall  be  baptized  as  a  be- 
liever: "He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,"  etc.; 
"Go,  disciple"  —  "Baptizing  them,"  etc.;  "Take  my 
yoke  upon  you,"  who  have  come  to  me  by  faith  and 
found  rest. 

Whatever  estimate  you  may  place  upon  your  infant 
baptism,  even  though  you  could  find  a  warrant  for  it 
in  the  word  of  God,  it  would  avail  you  nothing  when 
you  come  to  repent  of  your  sins  and  believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  His  unchanging  demand,  who  "  laid 
down  his  life  for  you,"  meets  you  at  the  threshold  of 
your  life  of  faith  :  "  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,"  etc.  It 
is  not  discretionary  with  yourself  as  to  whether  you  will 
submit  to  this  demand.     In  turning  aside  from  it,  you 


CONCLUDING  EEFLECTIONS.  159 

accept  the  only  alternative,  that  of  disregard  and  con- 
tempt of  the  will  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  respect  to  a 
great  positive  law  of  his  kingdom,  to  live  in  practical 
rebellion  against  his  authority  and  dominion. 

Are  you  prepared,  dear  reader,  to  meet  so  fearful  a 
responsibility  ? 

It  may  be  some  of  you  will  reply :  But  we  were 
baptized  as  adults;  we  were  sprinkled  or  poured  upon, 
as  the  case  may  be.  "  Baptism  (according  to  our  stand- 
ards) being  the  application  of  water  to  the  candidate 
in  any  way '' — "  the  external  baptism  signifying  the 
greater  or  internal  baptism  of  the  Spirit,^^  and  being 
"  a  sign  and  seal  of  his  regenerating  grace.'' 

However  plausible  this  may  appear  to  you,  it  is 
at  best,  by  a  specious  literary  manipulation,  only  a 
worldly-wise  and  bungling  way  of  professing  faith  in 
the  work  of  the  Spirit.  Christ  is  altogether  left  out 
of  view,  except  so  far  as  his  name  is  introduced  in  the 
formula. 

This  is  not  believers'  baptism  ;  it  is  not  that  in  Avhich 
you  are  required  to  make  the  Christian  profession;  that 
involves  a  burial  and  rising;  epitomizes  your  faith  in 
the  efficacy  of  Christ's  death,  and  in  the  truth  and 
power  of  his  resurrection — is  commemorative  of  that 
greatest  of  all  events,  the  resurrection  of  the  Son  of 
God  —  is  emblematically  declarative  of  the  fact  that 
you  are  partaker  of  his  death  and  resurrection,  that 
you  are  alive  from  the  dead,  and  are  clothed  upon  with 
his  riijhteousness  as  a  son  and  an  heir  of  God:  ^^  Ye  are 
all  the  sons  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus ;  for  as 


160  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have 
put  on  Christ."    (Gal.  iii :  26,  27.) 

You  are  required  in  baptism  to  put  on  Christ.  Ac- 
cept, dear  reader,  ^^  the  last  will  and  testament  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ "  as  the  rule  of  your  faith  and  duty. 
Let  his  constraining  love,  irrespective  of  educational 
and  associational  influences,  or  the  indefinite  dread  of 
reproach,  prompt  you  to  follow  where  truth  and  con- 
science lead. 

Ah !  I  half  suspect  It  is  the  fear  of  reproach  which 
causes  you  to  shrink  back  from  "  the  requirement  of 
conscience.''  But  did  it  never  occur  to  you  that  you 
were  required  in  this  very  ordinance  to  identify  your- 
self with  ^^  the  offense  of  the  cross  ?"  Christ  was  put  to 
death,  and  buried,  under  an  inconceivable  weight  of  ig- 
nominy and  reproach  :  **  The  reproaches  of  them  that 
reproached  thee  fell  on  me."  (Ps.  Ixix:  9;  Rom.  xv: 
3.)  He  requires  that  in  baptism  you  shall  in  a  figure 
be  put  into  the  same  grave  with  him,  indicating  that 
you  shall  be  first  sharer  of  his  reproach,  and  afterward 
partaker  of  his  glory. 

Remember  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  says: 
"  And  whosoever  doth  not  bear  his  cross,  and  come 
after  me,  can  not  be  my  disciple."  (Luke  xiv :  27 ,) 
"  Let  us  go  forth  unto  him,  therefore,  without  the 
camp,  bearing  his  reproach."    (Heb.  xiii :  13.) 

Finally,  an  immersion,  when  performed  as  the  con- 
tingent act  through  which  or  by  means  of  which  regen- 
eration and  the  moral  purification  of  the  soul  through 
"the  blood  of  Christ"  are  consummated,  is  no  less 


CONCLUDING  REFLECTIONS.  161 

faulty  than  infant  baptism,  or  tlie  acts  of  sprinkling  or 
pouring  upon  adults.  It  is  not  the  baptism  which 
Christ  enjoins  upon  his  followers.  It  is  radically  dif- 
ferent from  that  in  which  the  Christian  profession  is 
made.  It  is  much  more  like  the  Pedobaptist  '^  sign 
and  seaP'  than  the  symbolic  yoke  of  Christ.  It  is  not 
only  subversive  of  the  ordinance  itself,  but  of  the  doc- 
trines of  grace  involved  in  the  plan  of  salvation.  When 
will  those  who, fear  God  submit  their  understanding 
and  hearts  to  the  simple  teaching  of  his  Word? 

Scriptural  views  and  a  consequent  scriptural  prac- 
tice of  this  ordinance,  are  of  vastly  more  importance,  as 
a  conservative  of  the  truth,  the  unity  of  God's  people, 
and  the  purity  of  the  churches,  than  even  the  masses 
of  Christians  themselves  are  wont  to  suppose. 

The  great  divergency  from  the  simplicity  of  the  gos- 
pel in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity  Avas  marked  by  a 
departure  from  the  scriptural  object  of  baptism ;  and 
when  all  of  God's  people  shall  return  to  a  pure  gospel 
and  to  that  unity  of  sentiment,  sympathy,  and  pursuit 
which  will  render  them  in  the  highest  degree  "  the 
light  of  the  world  '^  and  "  the  salt  of  the  earth,''  it  will 
be  characterized  by  their  cordial  and  unreserved  accept- 
ance of  the  scriptural  object  of  baptism. 

Clear  scriptural  views  of  the  design  of  the  ordinance 
will  settle  all  other  questions  in  regard  to  it.  Noth- 
ing, indeed,  will  be  more  effectual  in  settling  the  con- 
flicting claims  in  relation  to  communion  in  "  the  Lord's 
Supper."  It  will  settle  more  clearly  the  relation  of 
believers  to  Christ  and  to  one  another — will  define 
14 


162  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

more  accurately  the  scriptural  character  of  gospel 
churches,  and  will  be  an  enduring  monument  on  which 
will  be  inscribed  the  living  doctrines  of  grace. 

Should  these  pages  contribute  to  so  desirable  a  con- 
summation, the  highest  aim  of  the  author  will  have 
been  fulfilled. 


THE   END. 


APPENDIX. 


In  the  Preface  to  this  volume,  the  reader  was  referred 
to  an  appendix,  containing  quotations  from  various 
distinguished  authors  confirming  the  views  expressed 
in  the  body  of  the  work.  These  quotations,  for  the 
most  part,  have  been  collated  from  the  authors  them- 
selves, and  care  has  been  taken,  in  giving  extracts,  to 
represent  as  fully  and  correctly  as  possible  their  views. 
In  other  instances,  the  authorities  are  given  from 
whence  the  quotations  are  drawn. 

These  authors  have  expressed  their  views  under  a 
variety  of  circumstances;  some  of  them  in  directly 
treating  the  subject;  others,  in  commenting  upon  a 
passage  of  Scripture  bearing  upon  the  subject ;  some,  in 
presenting  a  collateral  argument  while  treating  of  the 
mode  and  subjects  of  baptism ;  some,  again,  in  strict- 
ures upon  the  views  of  others  ;  and  some,  also,  in  bear- 
ing testimony  to  the  primitive  practice.  So,  also,  the 
subject  has  been  spoken  of,  with  greater  or  less  force  and 
fitness,  according  to  the  view-point  from  which  the  au- 
thor has  taken  his  observations. 

These  quotations  have  been  arranged  under  such 
headings  and  in  such  connections  as  seemed  most  har- 
monious with  the  point  of  view  from  which  the  author 
had  expressed  himself  They  have,  moreover,  been 
arranged  under  alphabetical  notations  corresponding 

(163) 


164  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

with  the  chapters  in  the  main  work — e.  g.y  Appendix  A 
corresponds  with  Chap.  I,  Appendix  B  with  Chap. 
II,  etc.;  the  sections  under  each  letter  in  the  Appendix 
answering  to  the  corresponding  sections  under  each 
chapter;  so  that,  upon  comparison  of  the  respective  sec- 
tions, it  will  at  once  be  seen  to  what  j^art  of  the  dis- 
cussion the  quotations  made  are  most  pertinent. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  whoever  reads  the  main  work 
will  also  read  the  Appendix.  The  reputation  of  the 
authors  quoted,  the  importance  of  the  views  expressed 
by  them,  and  the  classification  of  those  views,  it  is  be- 
lieved, will  render  the  Appendix  itself  a  most  readable 
and  instructive  document. 

A. 

The  extracts  given  under  this  notation  correspond 
with  the  "  Statement  of  the  Subject  ^^  in  Chap.  I. 

Says  Andrew  Fuller,  on  The  Practical  Uses  of  Chris- 
tian Baptism : 

''  The  principal  design  of  it  appears  to  be  a  solemn 
and  practical  profession  of  the  Christian  religion.  Such 
was  the  baptism  of  John,  who  ^  said  unto  the  people, 
that  they  should  believe  on  him  who  should  come  after 
him — that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus.^  And  such  Avas  that  in 
the  times  of  the  apostles.  Paul,  addressing  himself  to 
the  churches  in  Galatia,  who,  after  having  professed  to 
believe  in  Christ,  cleaved  to  the  Mosaic  law  as  a  medium 
of  justification,  thus  speaks  :  ^  The  law  was  our  school- 
master, to  bring  us  to  Christ,  that  we  might  be  justified 
by  faith ;  but  after  that  faith  is  come,  we  are  no  longer 
under  a  school-master.  For  ye  are  all  the  children  of 
God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of  you 
as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ,' 


APPENDIX.  165 

The  allusion  is  to  the  putting  on  of  apparel,  as  when  one 
that  enters  into  the  service  of  a  prince  puts  on  his  dis- 
tinguishing attire;  and  the  design  of  the  sacred  writer 
is  to  remind  those  of  them  who  had  before  professed 
the  Jewish  religion,  that  by  a  solemn  act  of  their  own 
they  had,  as  it  were,  put  ofP  Moses  and  put  on  Christ. . . . 
The  amount  is,  that  as  many  as  were  baptized  in  the 
primitive  ages  were  voluntary  agents,  and  submitted  to 
this  ordinance  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  solemn  and 
practical  profession  of  the  Christian  faith." — Works, 
vol.  iii,  pages  339,  340. 

Says  Richard  Baxter : 

*^It  is  commonly  confessed  by  us  to  the  Anabaptists, 
as  our  commentators  declare,  that  in  the  apostles'  time 
the  baptized  were  dipped  overhead  in  the  water,  and 
that  this  signified  their  profession,  both  of  believing 
the  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ  and  of  their  own 
present  renouncing  the  world  and  flesh,  or  dying  to 
sin  and  living  to  Christ,  or  rising  again  to  newness 
of  life,  or  being  buried  and  risen  again  with  Christ, 
as  the  apostle  expoundeth  (Col.  ii  and  Rom.  vi),  and 
thouoh  we  have  thouoht  it  lawful  to  disuse  the  manner 
of  dipping  and  to  use  less  water,  yet  we  presume  not 
to  change  the  use  and  signification  of  it.'' — Origin  of 
the  Baptists,  Ford,  page  165. 

"Wayland,  expressing  the  belief  of  Baptists,  says : 

"  "We  believe  that  the  ordinance  of  baptism  is  to  be 
administered  by  the  immersion  of  the  body  in  water — 
baptizing  the  candidate  ^  into  the  name  of  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.'  We  prefer  the  prepo- 
sition into  to  in,  in  the  apostolic  formula.  Info  is  the 
proper  translation  of  the  original  word.  This  is  a 
sufticient  reason  for  our  preference.     Nor  is  this  all : 


166  DESIGN   OF  BAPTISM. 

It  expresses,  as  we  believe,  the  meaning  of  the  ordi- 
nance, which  the  other  word  does  not.  Thus  says 
Robinson  :  *  To  baptize  or  to  be  baptized  into  any  one 
is,  into  a  profession  of  faith  of  any  one,  and  sincere 
obedience  to  him/  (See  Robinson  on  this  word.)  So 
the  children  of  Israel  were  ^baptized  into  Moses' — 
that  is,  into  discipleship  to  him.  They  thus  took  him 
for  their  leader  and  lawgiver,  promising  to  obey  and 
follow  him.  Precisely  thus  do  we  understand  the 
formula  of  baptism.  The  person  baptized  abjures  the 
world  and  enters  into  covenant  with  God.  He  was 
an  enemy  to  God  by  wicked  works,  he  is  now  a  child 
of  God  through  faith  in  his  Son  ;  he  was  dead  in  sin, 
he  is  now  alive  to  God ;  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells  in 
his  heart,  and  to  that  Spirit  he  professes  to  subject 
every  thought  and  purpose,  every  motive  and  action. 
This  is  what  we  suppose  is  meant  to  be  symbolized  in 
the  ordinance  of  baj)tism,  and  hence  the  meaning  of 
the  expression,  ^baptized  into  the  name  of,  or  into  the 
Father,  and  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.' " 

Answering  a  plea  for  disregarding  the  command  of 
Christ,  he  further  says  : 

"  If  baptism  be  essentially  the  profession  of  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  how  can  that  be  baptism  which 
is  administered  to  unconscious  infants,  who  are  abso- 
lutely incapable  of  these  spiritual  exercises?'' — Prin- 
ciples and  Practices  of  Baptists,  pages  87-90. 

Neander,  the  celebrated  church  historian,  says : 
"  As  baptism  was  closely  connected  with  a  conscious 
entrance  into  Christian  fellowship,  and  as  faith  and 
baptism  were  always  joined  together,  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  it  was  administered  only  when  these  two 
things  were  united.^' — History  of  Apostolic  Age,  vol.  i, 
page  140. 


APPENDIX.  167 

Again,  he  says: 

"Baptism  was  administered  at  first  only  to  adults, 
as  men  were  accustomed  to  conceive  baptism  and  faith 
as  strictly  connected. ^^ — History  of  Christian  Religion 
and  Church  J  vol.  i,  page  311. 

J.  L.  Waller,  in  The  Western  Baptist  Review^  says : 

"  The  Baptists  have  ever  occupied  the  middle,  which 
is  the  safe,  ground  in  reference  to  the  design  of  bap- 
tism. We  have  never  sympathized  with  those,  on  the 
one  hand,  who  make  it  every  thing;  nor  with  those,  on 
the  other,  who  make  it  nothing.  The  Saviour  was 
crucified  between  two  thieves,  and  the  truth  is  often 
crucified  between  two  falsehoods.  Baptism  is  an  im- 
portant institution  of  heaven.  It  is  the  way  ap- 
pointed of  the  Saviour  for  persons  publicly  to  profess 
his  holy  religion — to  declare  that  they  are  dead  to  sin, 
that  they  have  resigned  the  ways  of  this  world,  and  are 
determined  to  ^  walk  in  newness  of  life.'  The  question 
of  its  importance  is  nothing  more  than  an  inquiry  into 
the  propriety  and  utility  of  a  public  profession  of  re- 
ligion.''   (Vol.  i,  page  230.) 

Speaking  of  the  early  part  of  the  apostolic  age,  says 
De  Pressense,  an  eminent  French  Protestant  Pedo- 
baptist : 

"  In  those  times,  when  the  organization  of  the  church 
was  still  in  many  respects  undefined,  baptism  was  equiv- 
alent to  the  profession  of  faith.  Administered  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  a  solemn  sign  of  conversion, 
it  had  all  the  value  of  an  implicit  confession  of  the 
Christian  faith,  especially  at  a  time  when  its  observance 
was  sure  to  bring  down  reproach  and  persecution."— 
Ford^s  Christian  Repository,  Jan.,  1873,  page  493, 


168  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

"Baptism  (says  Howell)  is  the  appointed  form  in 
"wliicli,  in  part  at  least,  we  make  a  profession  of  the 
religion  of  Christ.  Such  a  profession  is  not,  and  can 
not  be,  complete  without  it.  This  truth  is  so  obvious 
that,  I  suppose,  it  will  be  cheerfully  admitted  by  the 
"well-informed  Christians  of  every  denomination.  If, 
in  the  apostolic  day,  a  man  was  baptized,  he  was  re- 
garded by  all  as  having  made  a  profession  of  religion. 
So  it  is  now,  and  so  it  has  been  in  all  ages  and  coun- 
tries."— Howell  on  Communion,  page  141. 

Prof.  Turney,  of  Madison  University,  in  a  work  on 
The  Scriptural  Law  of  Baptism,  or  the  Design  of 
Baptism,  says : 

"  The  general  design  of  baptism  is  a  formal  and 
practical  ])rofession  of  the  Christian  religion.  When 
properly  observed  it  is  a  declaration,  on  the  part  of  the 
subject,  that,  in  the  exercise  of  faith  and  submission, 
he  has  embraced  the  gospel,  that  he  has  received  Christ 
as  his  Saviour  and  Sovereign,  and  is  determined  to  be 
henceforth  identilied  with  his  cause.^^     (Page  19.) 

Speaking  of  baptism,  says  Prof  Curtis: 

^*  It  is  not  as  a  matter  of  controversy,  not  as  a  sec- 
tional distinction,  that  Baptists  love  this  ordinance,  but 
as  the  most  clear  profession,  the  most  eloquent  preacher 
of  those  great  truths  which  all  real  Christians  desire 
to  bind  around  their  hearts,  and  unfold  to  the  world  as 
a  banner  in  their  acts  and  lives. '^ — Progress  of  Bap- 
tist  Principles,  page  220. 

Says  J.  Newton  Brown,  editor  of  the  Encyclopedia 
of  Religious  Knowledge : 

"  The  principle  and  most  comprehensive  design  of 
this  ordinance  appears,  from  the  Scriptures,  to  be   a 


APPENDIX.  169 

solemn,  public,  and  practical  profession  of  Christian- 
ity/'   (Page  185.) 

"Baptism  (says  Williams)  is  to  its  recipient  an  act  of 
profession." — Exposition  of  Camphellism,  page  350. 

Says  Doctor  Crawford,  in  a  treatise  on  The  Remis- 
sion of  Sins  : 

"  Christian  baptism  is  a  public  profession,  and  was 
designed  by  the  law  of  the  gospel  so  to  be."  (Page  46.) 

Again: 

^^  After  the  act  of  faith  which  binds  the  believer  to, 
and  incorporates  him  with  Christ,  the  first  great  public 
act  of  obedience  is  baptism,  which  confesses  Christ." 
(Page  60.) 

Albert  Barnes,  the  learned  commentator,  in  a  note  on 
Mark  xvi :  16,  says: 

"  Faith  and  baptism  are  the  beginnings  of  a  Chris- 
tian life :  the  one,  the  beginning  of  piety  in  the  soul ; 
the  other,  of  its  manifestation  before  men,  or  of  a  pro- 
fession of  religion  :  and  every  man  endangers  his  eter- 
nal interest  by  being  ashamed  of  Christ  before  men." 

Says  Dr.  Richard  Fuller,  in  his  work  on  Baptism 

and  the  Terms  of  Communion  : 

"  Baptism  is  a  personal,  individual  act,  by  which  we 
confess  Christ."     (Page  183.) 

'^  It  is  a  plain  duty  which  meets  you  at  the  very 
threshold  of  the  Christian  course,  and  which  you  may 
not  evade  without  insulting  Christ  and  jeopardizing 
your  salvation."     (Page  87.) 
15 


170  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 


B. 


The  quotations  under  this  letter  correspond  with 
''  The  General  Outline  Yiew  of  the  Subject/'  under 
Chap.  II. 

Section  1.  The  baptism  of  Jesus. 

"  By  submitting  to  baptism  at  the  hands  of  John, 
our  Lord  (says  Hinton)  authenticated  the  divine  char- 
acter of  his  mission,  confirmed  and  honored  the  ordi- 
nance of  baptism  as  a  Christian  institute,  and  prefixed 
his  own  example  to  the  command  which  he  evidently 
gave  immediately  after  to  his  disciples,  and  which,  after 
his  resurrection,  he  confirmed  and  enlarged.  Although 
in  this  instance  the  ordinance  could  not  be  emblemat- 
ical of  the  purification  from  sin  of  the  individual  him- 
self, yet  was  still  a  most  solemn  figure  of  his  death  and 
resurrection,  his  sufferings  and  glory,  by  virtue  of  which 
all  purification  from  sin  and  all  the  glories  of  the  res- 
urrection were  to  accrue  to  his  disciples." — History  of 
Baptism,  pages  78,  79. 

The  reasons  suggested  by  the  celebrated  Witsius,  as 
given  by  Mr.  Booth,  are  well  worthy  of  a  serious  perusal. 

Witsius : 

"Our  Lord  would  be  baptized,  that  he  might  con- 
ciliate authority  to  the  baptism  of  John — that  by  his 
own  example  he  might  commend  and  sanctify  our  bap- 
tism— that  men  might  not  be  loath  to  come  to  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Lord,  seeing  the  Lord  was  not  backward 
to  come  to  the  baptism  of  a  servant — that,  by  his  bap- 
tism, he  might  represent  the  future  condition  of  both 
himself  and  his  followers :  first  humble,  then  glorious; 
now  mean  and  low,  then  glorious  and  exalted ;  that  rep- 


APPENDIX.  171 

resented  by  immersion,  this  by  emersion — and,  finally, 
to  declare  by  his  voluntary  submission  to  baptism  that 
he  would  not  delay  the  delivering  up  of  himself  to  be 
immersed  in  the  torrents  of  hell,  yet  with  a  certain 
faith  and  hope  of  emerging." — Quoted  by  Hinton, 
History  of  Baptism,  page  79. 

McKnight,  in  his  first  preliminary  essay  to  his  com- 
mentary on  the  Epistles  (page  17),  says: 

*'  The  Son  of  God,  in  prosecution  of  the  purpose  for 
which  he  took  on  him  the  human  nature,  came  to  John 
at  Jordan  and  was  baptized.  To  this  rite  he  submitted, 
not  as  it  was  the  baptism  of  repentance,  for  he  was 
perfectly  free  from  jsin,  but  as  it  prefigured  his  dying 
and  rising  again  from  the  dead,  and  because  he  was  on 
that  occasion  to  be  declared  God's  beloved  Son  by  a 
voice  from  heaven,  and  by  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
upon  him." 

Says  President  Jones,  of  Girard  College : 

"  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now,  rather  (aphes  arte)  suffer  it 
at  this  time.  There  is  a  tacit  allusion  to  another  time 
or  coming,  as  if  the  Lord  had  said  :  *  I  have  now  come 
to  offer  the  human  body  which  I  have  assumed  as  a 
sacrifice  for  sins,  and  the  baptism  of  it  Avliich  I  seek  at 
your  hands  is  a  typliical  showing  forth  of  the  sacrifice 
I  am  to  make.  But  I  shall  come  at  another  time,  and 
at  that,  my  second  coming,  this  rite  will  not  be  proper, 
for  then  I  w^ill  come  without  a  sin-offering,  not  in  a 
body  to  be  sacrificed  for  sin,  but  in  glory  ' 

^^  May  we  not  suppose  that  the  Lord  then  first  made 
known  to  him  the  mystery  of  his  suffering  and  his 
death?  It  was  after  that,  too,  that  John  called  Jesus 
the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
■world.     John  could  take  part  with  him  in  this,  typic- 


172  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 

ally  set  forth  :  *  Thus  it  becometh  us/  "  etc. — Quoted 
in  the  May  number  of  The  Christian  Repository  for 
1872,  page  830. 

The  learned  editor  of  Olshausen's  Commentary,  Dr. 
Kendrick  of  Rochester,  in  a  note  on  Matt,  iii :  13-17, 
says : 

"  The  law  required  not  that  he  (Christ)  should  sub- 
mit himself  to  John's  baptism,  but  it  did  require  that 
an  expiation  should  be  offered,  and  his  willingness  to 
offer  this  was  expressed  by  Christ  in  the  symbolic  rite 
of  baptism." 

Again  : 

"  Thus,  his  baptism  by  John  was  a  type  and  proph- 
ecy of  the  real  baptism  of  death  and  resurrection,  and 
forms  the  real  connecting  link  between  John's  baptism 
and  Christian  baptism," 

Bengel,  in  his  Gnomon  of  the  New  Testament,  says, 
on  Matt,  iii:  15: 

"  To  fulfill  all  righteousness.  This  is  effected,  not  by 
John  and  Jesus,  but  by  Jesus  alone,  who  undertook 
that  very  thing  in  his  baptism,  whence  the  appellation 
'baptism'  is  transferred  also  to  his  passion.  (Luke  xii : 
50.)  All  righteousness — all  parts  of  righteousness; 
and  therefore  this,  also,  the  earnest  of  the  other  greater 
parts.  By  a  narrow  view  of  righteousness,  it  would 
seem  that  John  should  be  baptized  by  Jesus;  by  a 
comprehensive  view  of  all  righteousness  the  matter  was 
inverted.  Jesus  said  this,  in  place  of  the  confession  of 
sin  made  by  the  rest  of  the  baptized,  who  were  sinners.'^ 

Conant,  in  his  critical  and  philological  notes  on  Matt. 
iii :  15,  says  : 


APPENDIX.  173 

"The  word  diJciosune  can,  therefore,  have  no  other 
meaning  here  than  righteousness.  Whatever  may  be 
the  full  depth  of  meaning,  in  this  language  of  our  Lord, 
so  much  as  this  at  least  we  are  to  understand  by  it, 
that  had  he  omitted  this  act  of  obedience,  he  would 
have  left  incomplete  that  perfect  righteousness  which  in 
our  nature  he  has  wrought  out.  If  aught  that  it 
became  him  to  fulfill  had  been  left  unfulfilled,  something 
essential  would  have  been  wanting.^^ 

Again  : 

'' Campbell's  rendering  'every  institution'  (and 
Scrivenor's  '  every  ordinance  ')  would  require  dikioma; 
nor  does  'ratify'  (Ho  ratify  every  institution  ')  express 
the  meaning  of  the  verb.  Later  expositors  have  seen  a 
deeper  significance  in  these  words.'' 

Dr.  Ford,  on  the  Design  of  Baptism,  in  TJie  Christian 
Bepository  for  July,  1871,  speaking  especially  of  the 
baptism  of  Jesus,  writes  as  follows  (pages  26,  27) : 

"  What  was  there  in  that  simple  action  of  baptism  to 
cleave  the  skies  and  evoke  the  languaged  approbation 
of  God?  AYe  answer,  there  was  more  significance  in 
that  act  than  any  other  that  marked  his  life  till  he  hung 
upon  the  cross.  It  involved  and  pictured  his  submis- 
sion to  his  Father's  will.  It  was  saying  in  action, '  Lo, 
I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God.'  It  was  the  willing  con- 
secration of  the  victim  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin.  It  was 
giving  himself  in  a  symbol  unto  death.  It  was  the 
representation  of  that  death  and  resurrection  by  which 
he  would  fulfill  all  righteousness  for  the  ransomed. 
Righteousness  was  what  man  had  lost.  Righteousness 
was  what  the  law  demanded.  Righteousness  was 
what  man  must  possess  if  he  ever  gain  the  mount  of 
God  or  the  joys  of  heaven.     How  could  this  be  pro- 


174  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

cured  for  him?  What  could  meet  the  law's  full  pen- 
alty and  bring  in  an  everlasting  righteousness — a  robe 
of  spotless  purity  ?  None  but  the  stainless,  infinite  One 
could  meet  that  penalty.  He  alone,  by  being  made 
under  the  law,  could,  in  human  form,  by  his  obedience, 
weave  that  radiant  garment  for  all  who  are  his.  He 
died — the  penalty  of  the  law  was  met.  He  was  buried — 
the  consequence  of  death  in  all  its  humiliation  was  en- 
dured. He  rose  to  assert  his  fulfillment  of  all  the  law 
required — ^  Jehovah  our  righteousness.^  It  was  thus 
he  really  ^  fulfilled  all  righteousness.'  It  was  thus,  in 
baptism,  he  symbolically  fulfilled  all  righteousness.'' 

William  Jones,  author  of  the  Church  History,  writes 
as  follows : 

"  When  Jesus  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty,  the 
period  of  life  at  which  the  priests  entered  upon  their 
ministrations  in  the  temple,  and  was  about  to  commence 
his  public  ministry,  he  was  solemnly  inaugurated  in  his 
sacred  office  by  means  of  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  ad- 
ministered by  the  hands  of  his  forerunner.  Impressed 
with  sentiments  of  the  most  profound  veneration  for 
his  Lord,  John  hesitated,  saying,  '  I  have  need  to  be 
baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me?'  Jesus, 
however,  reminded  him  that  there  was  a  necessity  for 
this — that  his  baptism  was  to  serve  as  an  emblematical 
figure  of  the  manner  in  which  he  was  to  accomplish 
the  work  of  human  redemption  :  for  as  in  baptism  the 
individual  is  buried  under  and  raised  again  from  the 
water,  even  so  it  became  him  Ho  fulfill  all  righteous- 
ness' by  dying  for  the  sins  of  his  people  and  rising 
again  for  their  justification.  This  being  accordingly 
transacted  in  a  figure,  the  evangelists  inform  us  that 
*  the  heavens  were  opened  and  the  Spirit  of  God,  de- 
scending like  a  dove,  alighted  upon  Jesus,  and  a  voice 


APPENDIX.  175 

was  heard  from  Leaven  declaring,  '  This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased/  ^^ — History  of  the 
Christian  Churchy  2  vols,  in  one,  page  42. 

Dr.  Stier,  in  his  exegetical  comment  on  Matt,  iii : 
1 5,  says : 

"  It  is  truly  and  essentially  the  true  beginning-point 
of  that  obedience,  the  consummation  of  which,  in  the 
death  Of  the  cross,  in  order  to  the  resurrection,  it  pre- 
typifies.  The  Lord  does  not  say  '  Herein^  hereby  it  is 
incumbent  upon  me  finally  to  accorapTTsTTall  righteous- 
ness,' but  ^ThusT  That  is  an  expression  of  comparison, 
which  points  forward  to  the  thing  compared. ...  As 
in  this  baptism  by  prophetic  figure  the  righteous  One 
places  himself  among  sinners,  so  was  he  afterward  bap- 
tized with  the  baptism  of  death,  in  which  he  as  the 
Lamb  of  God  bore  our  guilt ;  which  was  not  to  him 
the  wages  of  sin,  but  the  highest  meritorious  righteous- 
ness for  us  all.  .  .  .  All  this  our  Lord  clearly  saw  when 
he  came  to  the  Jordan;  and  as  he  finally  spoke  of 
his  sufferings  as  a  baptism,  so.  does  he  now  already 
contemplate  in  baptism  his  sufferings.  .  .  .  And  be- 
cause, finally,  the  baptism  which  he  thus  prepares 
for  us  finds  its  consummation  only  in  the  essential, 
actual  fellowship  of  his  death  and  resurrection,  we  re- 
mark that  the  'us'  in  which  he  includes  himself  in  his 
bumble  condescension  before  John,  means,  in  its  deepest 
signification,  ^  us  all.'  He  utters  it  as  '  the  Son  of  man,' 
in  the  name  of  humanity,  as  the  forerunner  in  the 
name  of  his  own,  with  whom  he  here,  at  the  very  be- 
ginning contemplating  the  uttermost  end,  most  entirely 
unites  himself.  He  indeed  is  pre-eminently  the  Fulfiller ; 
but  all  who  become  participators  of  his  righteousness  ful- 
fill in  him,  and  through  him  the  same  righteousness,  and 
in  the  same  way.     Thus  it  becometh  us  to  become  like 


176  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

him,  as  it  became  him  in  our  likeness  to  overcome  sin, 
and  render  obedience/' — Stier  on  the  words  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  vol.  i,  pages  32-34. 

Dr.  Ira  Chase,  in  a  work  on  the  Design  of  Baptism, 
thus  speaks  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus : 

"  No  matter  whether  John  understood  all  this  or  not, 
he  that  sent  him  to  baptize  understood  it  all ;  and  the 
Saviour  himself,  who  was  now  entering  publicly  upon 
the  great  work  which  involved  his  death  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins  and  his  rising  again  for  our  justification, 
understood  it  all.  John  heard  the  expression  of  his 
will,  and  reverently  acquiesced.  It  was  a  moment  of 
profound  and  impressive  silence.  It  was  the  moment 
of  the  Saviour's  openly  giving  himself  up  to  the  work 
of  our  redemption;  not  to  the  Levitical  priesthood,  for 
he  was  not  a  priest  after  the  order  of  Aaron  ;  nor  to  the 
office  merely  of  a  public  teacher,  for,  in  order  to  enter 
on  such  an  office,  neither  Scripture  nor  usage  required 
the  baptism ;  but  to  his  own  peculiar  office,  the  most 
prominent  part  of  which  was  the  laying  down  of  his 
life  and  taking  it  again,  that  we  might  be  purified 
from  our  iniquities.  Thus,  besides  sanctioning  bap- 
tism by  his  example,  he  was  consecrated  and  sent  forth 
into  the  world :  'And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went 
up  straightway  out  of  the  water;  and  lo,  the  heavens 
were  opened  unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God, 
descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon  him.  And 
lo,  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.'  Can  you  doubt,  my 
brethren,  why  he  was  so  signally  announced  to  the 
world  as  the  beloved  Sou  at  his  baptism?  Hear  his 
own  words :  '  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me, 
because  I  lay  down  my  life  that  I  might  take  it 
again.'  So,  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration,  when 
Moses  and  Elias  appeared  in  their  glory  and   con- 


APPENDIX.  177 

versed  with  "him  concerning  'his  decease  which  he 
should  accomplish  at  J'^rusalem/  a  bright  cloud  over- 
shadowed them  ;  and  behold,  a  voice  out  of  the  cloud, 
which  said,  'This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased/  Knowing,  as  he  did,  at  the  time  of  his 
baptism,  the  sufferings  which  were  connected  with  the 
work  on  which  he  was  entering,  and  that  they  were 
requisite  to  our  being  cleansed  from  sin,  he  shrunk  not 
back.  In  his  own  view,  and  in  the  view  of  heaven, 
his  being  baptized  was  a  fit  and  striking  emblematical 
declaration  of  his  voluntarily  yielding  himself  up  to 
those  sufferings,  with  the  confidence  of  emerging/' — 
Design  of  Baptismy  pages  10-12. 

Professor  Smeaton,  in  his  learned  and  able  work  on 
the  Doctrine  of  the  Atonement,  gives  an  exegetical  view 
of  the  words  of  the  Saviour,  ''  For  thus  it  becometh 
us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.^'  We  quote  from  him 
at  length  ; 

"  It  is  not  the  special  act  of  baptism  to  which  alone 
allusion  is  here  made.  The  language  is  more  general, 
though  the  occasion  was  particular.  There  is  nothing 
to  warrant  the  limitation  of  the  words,  which  must  be 
accepted  in  the  full  force  of  the  phraseology.  The  Lord 
had  a  confession  to  make,  and  the  words  here  used  fur- 
nish a  key  to  the  whole  action.  We  must  then,  first  of 
all,  notice  the  import  of  these  his  words  of  confession  : 
'  It  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.'  The  Lord 
virtually  says,  'It  is  not  unworthy  of  the  Son  of  God 
to  go  down  so  far;  for  it  is  not  a  question  of  dignity 
or  pre-eminence,  but  of  fulfilling  all  righteousness.' 
The  reception  of  baptism  was  only  a  voluntary  act,  and 
not  personally  necessary  or  required  on  his  own  ac- 
count, for  he  acted  of  free  choice  when  he  became  in- 
carnate.   But  it  became  him  to  fulfill  his  undertaking, 


178  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

and  in  doing  so  he  was  not  free  to  omit  this  or  any  part 
of  his  work ;  for  though  he  was  under  no  obligation  to 
take  the  flesh,  yet  there  arose  a  certain  duty  from  his 
engagement  to  the  Father,  from  his  mediatorial  office, 
and  from  the  old  prophecies.  There  was  a  certain 
hypothetical  necessity  or  propriety  which  required  his 
acting  as  he  now  did,  if  the  end  was  to  be  gained.  It 
may  be  thus  put :  ^  It  becometh  me  to  appear  in  the 
likeness  of  a  sinner,  and  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.' 

''  But  it  is  further  demanded,  what  significance  had 
baptism  for  Christ,  and  what  application  could  it  have 
for  him  ?  •  This  is  the  very  difficulty  which  presented 
itself  to  the  mind  of  the  Baptist,  and  which  is  still  a 
difficulty  to  many  an  expositor  in  explaining  it. . . .  In 
this  matter  it  is  obvious  we  must  distinguish  between 
the  sinless  person  or  individual  and  the  official  duty 
assigned  to  the  surety,  the  neglect  of  which  distinction 
has  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  difficulty.  .  .  .  Impurity 
of  his  own  he  had  none.  But  he  had  truly  entered 
into  humanity,  and  come  within  the  bonds  of  the  hu- 
man family.  Hence,  in  submitting  himself  to  baptism 
as  Mediator  in  an  official  capacity,  the  Lord  Jesus  vir- 
tually said,  ^  Though  sinless  in  a  world  of  sinners,  and 
without  having  contracted  any  personal  taint,  I  come 
for  baptism,  because  in  my  public  or  official  capacity  I 
am  a  debtor  in  the  room  of  many,  and  bring  with  me 
the  sin  of  the  whole  world,  for  which  I  am  the  propiti- 
ation.' He  was  already  atoning  for  sin,  and  had  been 
bearing  it  on  his  body  since  he  took  the  flesh  ;  and  in 
this  mediatorial  capacity  promises  had  been  made  to 
him  as  the  basis  of  his  faith,  and  as  the  ground  upon 
which  his  confidence  was  exercised  at  every  step.  . . . 
We  are  not  to  distinguish  here,  as  some  have  unduly 
done,  between  the  Man  and  the  Mediator.  We  meet  in 
this  whole  scene,  then,  an  inward  offering  of  himself, 


APPENDIX.  179 

or  i*  full  mental  dedication  to  bear  the  sin  of  the  world, 
and,  in  so  doing,  '  to  fulfill  all  righteousness/  The  ad- 
ministration of  the  rite,  accordingly,  was  a  symbol  of 
the  baptism  of  agony  which  he  had  yet  to  be. baptized 
with,  and  which,  with  the  utmost  promptitude,  he  here, 
and  all  through  his  history,  offered  himself  to  undergo: 
'  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with  ;  and  how  am  I 
straitened  till  it  be  accomplished/  (Luke  xii  50.) 
And  this  mental  dedication  ran  through  all  his  subse- 
quent career,  and  gave  a  tincture  to  his  entire  life  till 
it  confronts  us  afresh  as  a  completed  act  upon  the  cross. 
He  had  fulfilled  all  righteousness  till  now,  and  this 
gives  a  glimpse  into  his  purpose  and  resolve  for  the 
future.  It  consisted  of  these  two  parts  :  that  Christ, 
in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  should  condemn  sin  ;  in 
other  words,  that  he  should  perfectly  fulfill  the  law  of 
love  in  heart  and  action,  as  one  for  many ;  and  that, 
according  to  the  same  representative  system,  man 
should  satisfy  for  man,  by  fully  entering  into  the  lot 
of  sinners  under  punitive  justice. 

"  He  avowed  his  prompt  and  cordial  willingness,  as 
the  physician  of  the  sick,  to  take  upon  himself  their 
sicknesses  and  their  diseases,  though  he  well  knew 
that  he  was  now  at  the  threshold  of  his  public  ministry, 
and  entering  on  a  scene  of  conflicts  and  trouble,  of 
which  Nazareth  had  given  him  no  experience.  It 
might  be  added  that  this  merely  mental  ofiering  of 
himself  in  his  baptism  was  crowned  with  a  divine  rec- 
ognition. (Matt,  iii:  16.)  But  on  this  we  do  not  in- 
sist, as  it  does  not  come  within  our  purpose.  It  may 
suffice  to  say  that  this  divine  act  of  recognition  showed 
that  not  only  was  his  past  career  well  pleasing,  but  that 
this  dedication,  as  a  thing  that  was  to  be  daily  renewed, 
was  peculiarly  so,  and  would  be  at  the  close  most  glo- 
riously rewarded.     The  words  which  our  Lord  uses  at 


180  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

a  later  periocl,  'I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with ; 
and  how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accomplished/  dis- 
covers in  what  light  Christ  will  have  his  baptism  to  be 
regarded.  It  was  a  symbolic  representation  of  those 
sufferings  and  sorrows  to  which  he  must  submit  as  the 
voluntary  sacrifice  in  the  room  of  his  people — an  emblem 
of  the  way  in  which  he  was  to  bear  tlie  floods  of  wrath 
in  bringing  in  the  everlasting  righteousness,  or  in  ful- 
filling 'all  righteousness.'  We  do  not  need,  then,  to 
make  two  things  out  of  the  baptism,  but  may  rest  con- 
tent with  the  symbol  and  the  reality. 

"  The  allusion  is  not  to  a  single  rite,  or  to  any  one 
observance  which  had  been  appointed  by  divine  author- 
ity, and  the  observance  of  which  was  a  right  thing. 
That  does  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  meaning. 
The  expression  used  is,  that  he  must  needs  fulfill  all 
righteousness  in  a  humiliation  of  which  he  was  not 
ashamed,  and  in  which  John  must  acquiesce;  and  it 
can  only  refer  to  the  sinless  One  offering,  in  the  room 
of  sinners,  the  great  atoning  act,  or  to  the  whole  media- 
torial righteousness.  His  greatness  and  his  abasement 
are  equally  brought  out  in  the  work  to  be  done.  This 
will  help  us  to  understand  in  what  sense  it  cas  be  said 
that  Christ,  by  receiving  ba])tism,  'fulfilled  all  right- 
eousness.'. ..  The  phrase  'to  fulfill  all  righteousness' 
can  only  mean,  in  this  connection,  that  by  what  was  here 
involved  and  symbolized  in  the  rite  employed,  the  Lord 
Jesus  would  bring  in  an  approved  fulfillment  of  the 
divine  law  as  the  work  of  One  for  many ;  that  there 
must  be  an  exact  correspondence  between  that  which 
is  required  and  that  which  is  actually  rendered — a 
coincidence  between  the  two. ...  As  it  was  not  a  divine 
righteousness,  but  a  creature  righteousness  that  was  re- 
quired at  our  hands,  so  it  was  this  that  the  Mediator 
rendered ;  in  other  words,  it  was  the  same  in  kind  with 


APPENDIX.  181 

ours,  though  the  person  who  came  to  bring  it  in  was 
possessed  of  a  divine  dignity  which  gave  his  work  a 
validity  and  value  all  its  own.  It  consisted  in  an  obe- 
dience to  the  divine  law  in  precept  and  in  penalty,  com- 
plete in  all  its  parts,  and  up  to  the  measure  of  man^s 
capacity;  for  as  nothing  less  was  claimed,  so  noth- 
ing less  was  rendered  by  the  Mediator,  who  w^as  made 
under  the  law  as  broken,  and  who  acted  in  the  room 
of  others.  Thus  Man  satisfied  for  man,  and,  furthermore, 
fulfilled  the  law  of  love  in  heart  and  life. 

*'  We  can  not  limit  the  j^hrase  to  any  thing  short  of 
full  obedience  to  the  law,  as  the  rule  of  righteousuess. 
And  when  we  look  at  the  terms  here  used,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  epithet  ^righteous  ^  always  carries  with  it 
the  notion  that  the  person  so  described  is  approved  by 
a  competent  tribunal  as  following  a  line  of  conduct 
which  is  conformable  to  the  law  ;  so  righteousness  is 
that  quality,  personal  or  official,  which  marks  one  out 
as  the  fit  object  of  that  approval.  The  allusion  here  is 
to  the  righteousness  due  from  the  creature,  and  exhibited 
in  the  great  sacrifice  \vhich  was  here  mentally  offered 
by  the  Mediator  yi  our  stead.  This  is  the  meaning,  as  is 
obvious  on  many  grounds.  Expositors  have  propounded 
various  other  explanations  which  are  not  tenable. .  .  . 
The  defect  of  all  these  comments  is,  that  they  take 
no  account  of  Christ's  mediatorial  position  in  this  act, 
without  which  we  can  not  understand  his  words  or  see 
their  proper  scope.  He  was  already  in  this  public  act 
mentally  offering  the  sacrifice  of  himself  to  the  Father, 
and  so  fulfilling  all  righteousness.^' 

To  the  above  the  author  adds  a  note  in  relation  to 
the  word  translated  *^  righteousness  :'' 

^^  This  is  the  meaning  of  dihaiosune :  That  the  verb 
dikaioun  denotes  one  who  is  acquitted  and  accepted,  is 


182  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

admitted  on  all  hands;  but  the  mistake  too  commonly 
committed  is,  that  the  same  meaning  has  not  been  car- 
ried out  to  these  cognate  words — e.  g.y  dikaiosune,  di- 
kaiosJ^ 

Section  2.  "  One  end  of  baptism  (says  Dr.  John 
Gill),  and  a  principal  one,  as  has  been  frequently 
hinted,  is  to  represent  the  sufferings,  burial,  and  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  which  is  plainly  and  fully  suggested 
in  Rom.  vi :  4,5;  Col.  ii :  12.  His  sufferings  are 
represented  by  going  into  the  water  and  being  over- 
whelmed in  it,  his  burial,  by  a  short  continuance  under 
it  and  being  covered  with  it,  and  his  resurrection  by  an 
emersion  out  of  it.'' — GUI  on  Baptism,  page  69. 

Dr.  Brow-n,  of  Edinburg,  in  his  ''Eposition  of  the 
Discourses  and  Sayings  of  Our  Lord,  Gal.iii :  27,  says : 

'^  To  be  ^  baptized  into  Christ  Jesus/  obviously 
means  something  more  than  to  be  baptized  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ.  The  phrase  occurs  here  only,  and  in 
the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Romans,  verse  third,  and  in 
both  places  something  is  predicated  of  those  who  are 
*  baptized  into  Christ '  which  can  not,  by  any  means, 
be  said  of  all  who  are  baptized,  whether  in  infancy  or 
mature  age,  in  the  primary  sense  of  the  term.  All 
who  are  baptized  into  Christ  are  there  said  to  be  ^bap- 
tized into  his  death,'  and  '  risen  with  him,'  etc. ;  and 
here  all  who  are  '  baptized  into  Christ  Jesus '  are  said 
to  ^  put  on  Christ.'  Union  with  Christ  as  dying  and 
buried  and  raised  again,  is  obviously  the  idea  in  the 
sixth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  To  be 
baptized  into  Christ  is,  I  apprehend,  just  equivalent  to 
be  united  or  intimately  related  to  Christ  by  that  faith 
of  which  a  profession  is  made  in  baptism.  .  .  .To 
'put  on  Christ'  is  to  become,  as  it  were,  one  per- 


APPENDIX.  183 

son  with  Christ.  They  are  invested,  as  it  were, 
with  his  merits  and  rights.  They  are  treated  as  if  they 
had  done  what  he  did,  and  had  deserved  what  he  de- 
served. They  are  clothed  with  his  righteousness,  and 
in  consequence  of  this  they  are  animated  by  his  Spirit — 
the  mind  that  was  in  him  is  in  them.  To  use  the 
apostle's  own  language,  they  do  not  so  pro^^erly  ^  live  '  as 
*  Christ  lives  in  them.^  The  apostle^s  statement  in 
plain  words  is,  All  who  believe  in  Christ  Jesus  are  so 
closely  related  to  him  as  to  be  treated  by  God  as  if 
they  were  one  with  him.  When  he  looks  at  them  he 
sees  nothing,  as  it  were,  but  Christ.'^  (Pages  179, 
180.) 

Section  3.  Having  said,  "  But  this  general  design 
of  baptism  comprehends  many  particulars/'  adds  J. 
Newton  Brown,  "  Baptism,  therefore,  is  designed  to 
give  a  sort  of  visible  epitome  of  Christianity.^' — Ency- 
clopedia of  Religious  Knowledge,  page  186. 

Section  4.  Olshausen,  commenting  on  Matt,  xxviii : 
19,  says : 

"  The  baptizing  into  any  one  signifies  baptism  as  in- 
volving a  binding  obligation  ;  a  rite,  whereby  one  is 
pledged;  and  the  sublime  objects  to  which  baptism 
binds  consists  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

Dr.  Samuel  W.  Lynd ; 

"  We  are  required  to  be  baptized  into  the  name  of 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  are  re- 
quired in  the  ordinance  to  '  put  on  Christ.'  Our  bap- 
tism into  the  name  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  is 
our  coming  into  sul)jection  to  the  sacred  Trinity.  Our 
putting  on  Christ  in  baptism  is  an  open,  formal  entrance 


184  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

into  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  "We  then  publicly 
renounce  our  former  life,  and  profess  to  commence  a 
new  life.  We  assert  to  the  world  in  this  act  that  we 
die  to  sin  and  rise  to  a  life  of  holiness.'^ — Design  of 
Baptism,  pages  25,  26. 

Dr.  N.  M.  Crawford : 

"  The  act  of  baptism  was,  on  the  part  of  the  baptized, 
a  profession  of  repentance  toward  God,  and  of  faith  in 
the  Son  of  God.  This  profession  involved  a  grateful 
recognition  of  the  Trinity;  for  it  includes  repentance 
toward  the  Father,  recognition  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  Sou  of  God.^^— Essay  on 
the  Baptism  of  Repentance  for  the  Remission  of  Sins, 
page  45. 

D.  C.  Haynes: 

"The  passages  that  have  been  before  us  plainly  in- 
dicate that  it  was  the  divine  intention  that  this  ordi- 
nance should  exhibit  and  teach  the  important  change 
produced  by  the  efficacy  of  grace  on  a  sinner — namely, 
his  purification  from  sin,  and  burial  as  to  the  love  and 
practice  of  it;  his  resurrection  to  a  new  and  religious 
life;  the  union  and  fellowsliip  into  which  the  Christian 
enters  with  the  triune  God;  and  his  rising  from  the 
dead,  through  his  risen  Lord,  at  his  coming.^^ — The 
Baptist  Denomination  J  page  155. 


C. 

The  following  quotations  correspond  with  the  "  First 
Characteristic  Feature,"  under  Chapter  III : 

"Baptism   symbolizes   the   believer's   death  to   sin, 
and  consequent  separation  from  the  world." 


APPENDIX.  185 

Section  1.     Carson  on  Rom.  vi : 

"  'How  shall  we  that  are  dead  to  sin  live  any  longer 
therein  V  This  must  be  real  death,  otherwise  there  is 
no  argument.  How,  then,  are  we  dead  ?  By  faith  in 
Clirist  we  are  dead.  But  in  baptism  this  truth  is  ex- 
hibited in  figure  :  'Know  ye  not  that  so  many  of  us  as 
were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ,  were  baptized  into  his 
death?'  To  be  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  imports  the 
being  baptized  into  the  faith  of  his  death  as  our  sub- 
stitute;  but  to  be  baptized  into  his  death  imports  that 
by  baptism  we  are  exhibited  as  dying  along  with  him. 

"  The  death  in  baptism  is  a  figurative  death,  founded 
on  the  real  death  by  faith.  If  baptized  into  his  death 
does  not  import  our  death  with  Christ,  this  verse  is  not 
proof  of  what  is  asserted  in  the  former;  and  if  baptism 
is  no  figurative  burial,  it  is  no  proof  of  death,  and 
therefore  would  be  only  an  incumbrance  in  this  place. 

''The  Christian  has  a  real  dt*ath,  burial,  and  resur- 
rection with  Christ  by  faith.  He  has  all  these  also  in 
baptism  by  figure.  Baptism  is  a  proof  of  death,  because 
it  has  no  meaning  otherwise.  Hence  it  is  used  as  an 
argument  here,  and  hence  the  great  importance  of  un- 
derstanding the  import  of  baptism.  It  gives,  by  a 
striking  figure,  a  conception  of  the  union  of  believers 
with  Christ  in  his  death,  burial,  and  resurrection,  that 
has  escaped,  we  see,  the  most  sagacious  Christians  who 
are«ignorant  of  the  ordinance.'' — Carson  on  BajMsm, 
pages  159,  160. 

Connybeare  and  Howson,  in  their  Life  and  Epistles 
of  St.  Paul,  say  : 

"  It  is  needless  to  add  that  baptism  was  (unless  in 
exceptional  cases)  administered  by  immersion,  the  con- 
vert being  plunged  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water, 
to  represent  his  death  to  the  life  of  sin,  and  then  raised 
16 


186  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

from  this  momentary  burial,  to  represent  liis  resurrec- 
tion to  the  life  of  righteousness.  It  must  be  a  subject 
of  regret  that  the  general  discontinuance  of  this  orig- 
inal form  of  baptism  (though  perhaps  necessary  to  our 
northern  climate)  has  rendered  obscure  to  popular  ap- 
prehension some  very  important  passages  of  Scripture.^' 

The  same  authors,  in  a  note  on  Rom.  vi :  4,  say : 

"  This  passage  can  not  be  understood  unless  it  be 
borne  in  mind  that  the  primitive  baptism  was  by  im- 
mersion." 

They  translate  the  4th  verse  thus  : 

"  With  him,  therefore,  we  were  buried  by  the  bap- 
tism wherein  we  shared  his  death  (when  we  sank  be- 
neath the  waters  and  were  raised  from  under  them), 
that  even  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the 
glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  likewise  might  walk  in  new- 
ness of  life." — Quoted  by  Haynes  in  his  History  of 
the  Baptist  Denomination. 

Luther,  quoted  by  Conant,  says : 

"And  indeed,  if  you  consider  what  baptism  signifies, 
you  will  see  that  the  same  thing  (immersion)  is  required. 
For  this  signifies  that  the  old  man  and  our  sinful  na- 
ture, which  consists  of  flesh  and  blood,  is  all  submerged 
by  divine  grace,  as  we  shall  more  fully  show.  The 
mode  of  baptizing  ought,  therefore,  to  correspond  to  the 
signification  of  baptism,  so  as  to  set  forth  a  sure  and 
full  sign  of  it." — Meaning  and  Use  of  Baptizein,  pages 
160,  161. 

"  Matthies,"  says  Conant,  (Treatise  on  Baptism) , "  only 
repeats  the  expressed  views  of  eminent  Christian  schol- 
ars of  diflPerent  communions  when  he  says:" 

"  In  the  apostolic  church,  in  order  that  fellowship 
in  Christ's  death  might  be  signified,  the  whole  body  of 


APPENDIX.  187 

the  one  to  be  baptized  was  immersed  in  water,  or  a 
river ;  and  then,  that  participation  in  Christ's  resur- 
rection might  be  indicated,  the  body  again  emerged 
or  was  taken  out  of  the  water.  It  is,  indeed,  to  be 
lamented  that  this  rite,  as  being  one  which  most  aptly 
sets  before  the  eyes  the  symbolic  significance  of  bap- 
tism, has  been  changed." — Meaning  and  Use  of  Bap- 
tizein,  page  161. 

McKnight,  Commentary  on  Romans  vi:  3  : 

"  In  our  baptism,  have  been  represented  emblemat- 
ically as  put  to  death  with  him." 

Prof.  Lange,  on  Infant  Baptism,  quoted  by  Hinton, 
says : 

"  Baptism  in  the  apostolic  age  was  a  proper  bap- 
tism—  the  immersion  of  the  body  in  water. ...  As 
Christ  died,  so  we  die  (to  sin)  with  him  in  baptism. 
The  body  is,  as  it  were,  buried  under  water,  is  dead 
with  Christ;  the  plunging  under  water  represents 
death,  and  rising  out  of  it  the  resurrection  to  a  new 
life.  A  more  striking  symbol  could  not  be  chosen." — 
History  of  Baptism,  page  56. 

Whitby,  note  on  Kom.  vi :  4,  says: 

"It  being  so  expressly  declared  here  (Rom.  vi :  4 
and  Col.  ii :  12)  that  we  are  buried  with  Christ  in  bap- 
tism, by  being  buried  under  water ;  and  the  argument 
to  oblige  us  to  a  conformity  to  his  death  by  dying  to 
sin  being  taken  hence;  and  this  immersion  being  relig- 
iously observed  by  all  Christians  for  thirteen  centuries, 
and  approved  by  our  church,  and  the  change  of  it  into 
sprinkling,  even  without  any  allowance  from  the  Author 
of  this  institution,  or  any  license  from  any  council  of 


188  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

the  clinrcli,  being  that  which  the  Romanist  still  urges 
to  justify  his  refusal  of  the  cup  to  the  laity ;  it  were  to 
be  wished  that  this  custom  might  be  again  of  general 
use,  and  aspersion  only  permitted,  as  of  old,  in  case  of 
the  clinici,  or  in  present  danger  of  death." — The  Bap- 
tist Denomination^  page  149. 

Archbishop  Tillotson : 

'^  Anciently,  those  who  were  baptized  were  immersed 
and  buried  in  the  water,  to  represent  their  death  to 
sin ;  and  then  did  rise  up  out  of  the  water,  to  signify 
their  entrance  upon  a  new  life.  And  to  these  customs 
the  apostle  alludes,  Rom.  vi :  2-6." — The  Baptist  De- 
nomination y  page  148. 

Section  2.  ^^  The  leading  idea  (says  Andrew  Fuller) 
suggested  by  a  death  and  burial  seems  to  be  that  of  sep- 
aration from  the  world.  There  is  no  greater  line  of 
separation  than  that  which  is  drawn  between  the  dead 
and  living.  ^  The  dead  know  not  any  thing,  and  have 
no  portion  in  all  that  is  done  under  the  sun.'  Such  is 
the  line  which  is  drawn  ^  by  the  faith  of  the  operation 
of  God  '  between  the  world  renewed  and  the  world  de- 
praved, of  which  baptism  is  iho:  appointed  sign.  If 
after  this  we  are  found  among  evil-doers,  we  may  well 
be  considered  and  shunned  as  a  kind  of  apparitions, 
which  have  no  proper  concern  in  the  affairs  of  mor- 
tals.—  WorhSy  vol.  iii,  page  341,  342. 

Conant,  speaking  of  the  "  obligation  to  translate  the 
word  "  haptizein,  says  : 

"  The  act  which  it  describes  was  chosen  for  its  adap- 
tation to  set  forth,  in  lively  symbolism,  the  ground 
thought  of  Christianity.  The  change  in  the  state  and 
character  of  the   believer   was  total;   comparable  to 


APPENDIX.  189 

death,  as  separating  entirely  from  tlie  former  spiritual 
life  and  condition.  The  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ, 
those  overwhelming  sorrows  which  he  himself  expressed 
by  this  word  (Luke  xii :  50),  were  the  ground  and  pro- 
curing cause  of  this  change.  These  related  ideas,  com- 
prehending in  their  references  the  whole  work  and 
fruit  of  redemption,  were  both  figured  by  the  immer- 
sion of  the  believer  in  water.  In  respect  to  both,  it  was 
called  a  burial.  By  it  the  believer  was  buried,  as  one 
dead  with  Christ  to  sin  and  to  the  w^orld  ;  and  by  it  he 
pledged  himself  to  newness  of  life  with  him  who  died 
for  him  and  rose  again." — Meaning  and  use  o/Baptizein, 
page  160. 

Crawford : 

'^  As  baptism  typifies  the  death  and  burial  of  Jesus 
Christ,  so  also  it  is  an  emblem  of  the  believer's  death 
to  sin  and  burial  to  the  world." 

Essay :  "  The  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sins."     (Page  51.) 

Prof  Curtis : 

"  On  the  part  of  the  candidate,  baptism  is  a  promise 
to  live  a  life  of  separation  from  the  world,  and  conse- 
cration to  Christ ;  and  in  this  its  importance  is  felt." — 
Progress  of  Baptist  PrinGipleSy  page  221, 


D. 

This  notation  corresponds  with  the  '^  Second  Charac- 
teristic Feature,"  under  Chap.  IV. 

Baptism   symbolizes   the  believer  rising  from   the 
death  of  sin  to  the  life  of  holiness. 


190  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

Section  1.  McKnight,  commentary  on  Rom.  vi:  4: 

"Christ's  baptism  was  not  the  baptism  of  repent- 
ance, for  he  never  committed  any  sin;  but  he  submit- 
ted to  be  baptized — that  is,  to  be  buried  under  the  water 
by  John,  and  to  be  raised  out  of  it  again — as  an  emblem 
of  his  future  death  and  resurrection.  In  like  manner 
the  baptism  of  believers  is  emblematical  of  their  own 
death,  burial,  and  resurrection.  Perhaps,  also,  it  is  a 
commemoration  of  Christ's  baptism.'' 

Tyndale,  the  martyr  translator,  says : 

"  The  plunging  into  the  water  signifies  that  we  die 
and  are  buried  with  Christ,  as  concerning  the  old  life 
of  sin  which  is  in  Adam;  and  the  pulling  out  again 
signifieth  that  we  rise  again  with  Christ  in  a  new 
life." — Tract  on  Design  and  Subjects  of  Baptism^  W. 
W.  Everts,  page  10. 

Dr.  Chalmers : 

"  Jesus  Christ  by  death  underwent  this  sort  of  bap- 
tism— even  immersion  under  the  surface,  of  the  ground, 
whence  he  soon  emerged  again  by  his  resurrection. 
"VYe,  by  being  baptized  into  his  death,  are  conceived  to 
have  made  a  similar  translation  ;  in  the  act  of  descend- 
ing under  the  water  of  baptism,  to  have  resigned  an 
old  life,  and  in  the  act  of  ascending,  to  emerge  into  a 
second  or  new  life." — Everts  as  above,  page  10. 

Crawford : 

"As  it  (baptism)  typifies  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
from  the  dead,  so  it  is  an  emblem  of  the  believer's 
walking  in  newness  of  life." — Essay,  page  51, 


APPENDIX.  191 


-     E 

Corresponcls  with  "  Second  Characteristic  Feature  con- 
tinued/^ Chap.  Y. 

Section  1.  Gill : 

"A  salutary  or  saving  use  and  eifect  is  ascribed  unto 
it :  '  the  like  figure  whereunto  baptism  doth  also  now 
save  us  f  should  it  be  asked  how  and  by  what  means, 
the  answer  follows,  '  By  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ/  (1  Pet.  iii :  21.)  That  is,  by  leading  the 
faith  of  the  person  baptized  to  Christ  as  delivered  for 
his  oflPenses,  and  as  risen  again  for  his  justification.  In 
the  same  passage  it  is  said  to  be  of  this  use,  and  to 
serve  this  purpose,  'the  answer  of  a  good  conscience 
toward  God.'  A  man  who  believes  baptism  to  be  an 
ordinance  of  God,  and  submits  to  it  as  such,  discharges 
a  good  conscience,  the  consequence  of  which  is  joy  and 
peace ;  for  though  for  keeping  the  commands  of  God 
there  is  no  reward,  yet  there  is  in  keeping  them,  and 
this  is  their  reward :  the  testimony  of  a  good  con- 
science ;  for  great  peace  have  they  which  love  God  and 
keep  his  commandments.^' — Gill  on  Baptism^  page  70. 

Prof.  Dudley: 

"  The  Relation  of  Baptism  to  Salvation. — As 
baptism  is  the  emblem  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  and 
as  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  grand  agency  which 
God  employs  for  the  salvation  of  men,  baptism  is  the 
emblem  of  what  saves  us.  Now,  as  the  emblematical 
representation  of  what  saves  us,  as  applied  to  a  proper 
subject,  baptism  is  the  emblematical  representation  of 
his  salvation.  Since  it  is  only  by  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  that  baptism  can  be  said  to  save  us,  it  mustsus- 


192  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

tain  the  same  kind  of  relation  to  our  salvation  that  it 
does  to  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  It  is  the  emblem 
of  his  resurrection— it  is,  therefore,  when  applied  to  a 
proper  subject,  the  emblem  of  his  salvation. . .  .  Bap- 
tism is  then  a  declarative  ordinance — i.  e.,  baptism  is  an 
act  declarative  of  the  subject  being  in  a  pardoned,  jus- 
tified, and  saved  state ;  and  not  that  he  has  become  such 
because  of,  or  in  consequence  of,  or  only  after  his  bap- 
tism, but  that  he  was  such  before,  and  independent  of 
his  baptism;  aye,  that  his  baptism,  properly  adminis- 
tered, was  predicated  upon  his  being  already  in  such 
state.'^ — Sermon  on  The  Relation  of  Baptism  to  Salva- 
tion j  pages  7,  8. 

Section  2.  Prof.  Turney,  speaking  of  the  ^'  spiritual 
change  which  is  effected  in  the  character  of  an  indi- 
vidual upon  his  reception  of  the  gospel,'^  says  : 

'^Thls  is  symbolically  presented  in  baptism  as  the 
washing  away  of  sin.^^ — Design  of  Baptism,  page  25. 

Williams: 

"  Baptism  Is  the  dividing  line  between  us  and  our 
sins.  We  come  to  Jesus  by  faith,  and  have  him  to  say 
to  us  as  he  did  to  the  leper  :  ^  I  will ;  be  thou  clean ' — 
have  his  blood  to  purge  our  conscience  from  dead  works, 
and  we  then  wash  them  away  in  baptism.  We  leave 
them  really  and  formally  on  that  side  of  the  water.'^ — 
Exposition  of  Campbellism,  page  851. 

Hinton : 

"  To  the  believer,  baptism  is  not  only  a  profession  of 
his  union  to  Christ,  but  of  his  renunciation  of  and 
separation  from  sin.  It  is  in  this  sense  Paul  was 
exhorted  by  Ananias  to  ^  arise  and  be  baptized,  and 


APPENDIX.  193 

"wasli  away  his  sins;'  that  is,  manifest,  by  this  decided 
and  public  act  of  renunciation,  that  he  had  forever 
abandoned  them/' — History  of  Baptism,  page  357. 

Luther,  in  the  Smalcald  Articles  (drawn  up  by  him), 
says : 

"  Washing  from  sins  is  attributed  to  baptism ;  it  is 
truly,  indeed,  attributed,  but  the  signification  is  softer 
and  slower  than  it  can  express  baptism,  which  is  rather 
a  sign  both  of  death  and  resurrection.  Being  moved 
by  this  reason,  I  would  have  those  that  are  to  be  bap- 
tized, to  be  altogether  dipped  into  the  water,  as  the 
word  doth  sound,  and  the  mystery  doth  signify." — 
Quoted  by  Hinton,  History  of  Baptism,  page  52. 

Chase : 

"  In  baptism  there  is  retained,  in  all  its  significancy, 
the  idea  of  cleansing  or  purification ;  for  the  water  in 
wdiich  we  are  buried  is  a  purifying  element.  Thus, 
there  is  a  figurative  washing  away  of  sins,  a  putting 
off  of  the  body  of  sinful  propensities,  and,  as  it  were, 
a  depositing  of  it  in  the  grave,  from  which,  in  this  em- 
blem, we  come  forth  as  alive  from  the  dead,  to  *  walk 
in  newness  of  life,'  and  at  length  to  enter  on  the  life 
everlasting,  '  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead ' 
after  his  having  voluntarily  endured  those  sufferings  by 
which  we  humbly  trust  we  have  been  delivered  from 
eternal  death." — Desigii  of  Baptism,  page  21. 

Carson : 

''  Baptism  washes  away  sins,  not  because  it  is  the 
first  ordinance,  but  because  it  is  an  emblematical  wash- 
ing of  the  body  with  water. .  . .  We  wash  away  sins  in 
baptism  just  as  we  eat  the  flesh  of  Jesus  in  the  Lord's 
17 


194  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

Supper. ...  The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless;  is  it 
not  the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ  ?  The 
bread  which  we  break;  is  it  not  the  communion  of 
the  body  of  Christ  ?  .  . .  How  is  the  cup  the  communion 
of  Christ^s  blood?  How  is  the  bread  the  communion 
of  his  body?  In  fio;ure  ;  and  when  the  figure  is  ob- 
served in  faith,  the  real  communion  is  effected.  Just 
so  baptism  washes  away  sin.  It  is  absurd  and  ridicu- 
lous to  suppose  that  an  ordinance  can  wash  away  sin 
in  any  other  than  a  figurative  sense.  . .  .  The  washing 
away  of  sins,  ascribed  to  baptism,  is  effected  by  bap- 
tism."—  Work  on  Baptism,  page  161. 

Section  3.     Andrew  Fuller  : 

"  The  immersion  of  the  body  in  water,  which  Is  a 
purifying  element,  contains  a  profession  of  our  faith  in 
Christ,  through  the  shedding  of  whose  blood  we  are 
cleansed  from  all  sin.  Hence  baptism  in  the  name  of 
Christ  is  said  to  be  for  the  remission  of  sins." — Works, 
vol.  iii,  page  341. 

Crawford,  speaking  of  the  baptism  of  the  penitents 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  says  : 

"  It  was  an  act  of  confession  and  profession.  Sin 
fulness  and  rebellion  were  confessed  and  renounced ; 
peace  and  pardon  tlirough  the  death  of  Jesus  were  pro- 
fessed ;  and  everlasting  allegiance  and  devotion  pledged 
to  that  Lord  whom  a  few  weeks  before  they  had  with 
wicked  hands  crucified  and  slain." — Essay  on  Remis- 
sion of  Sins,  pages  55,  56. 

Prof.  J.  E.  Farnham,  in  The  Christian  Bepository,  of 
July,  1852,  discussing  the  question, '' Is  baptism  for 
the  remission  of  sins  ?"  says : 


APPENDIX.  195 

'^The  few  passages  in  our  English  version  of  the 
Kew  Testament  which  teach  this  doctrine  are  literal 
translations  of  Hebrew-Greek  idioms.  The  language 
spoken  by  Christ  and  the  apostles  is  a  dialect  of  the 
Greek  language  as  it  was  spoken  by  the  Jews  at  the 
time  when  the  New  Testament  Scriptures  were  written. 
This  dialect  differs  from  the  classic  dialects,  the  Eolic, 
Doric,  the  Ionic,  etc.,  in  this  respect,  that  while  the 
latter  related  principally  to  the  forms,  or  the  mode  of 
spelling  words,  the  Hebraic  or  Jewish  dialect  differed 
from  them  all  in  the  phraseology  which  it  employed  in 
ex])ressing  ideas,  or  in  its  idiomatic  structure.  A  trans- 
lation of  the  Old  Testament  from  the  original  Hebrew 
into  this  dialect  of  the  Greek  tongue  had  been  made 
for  the  use  of  the  Jews,  and  was  in  general  use  among 
them  when  Christ  was  on  earth.  This  version,  styled 
the  Septuagint,  was  read  in  their  synagogues,  was  quoted 
by  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  was  held  in  the  highest 
estimation  by  the  Jews  as  well  as  by  the  early  Chris- 
tian church.  Its  words  being  Greek,  while  its  phrase- 
ology was  Hebrew,  their  native  tongue,  its  idioms  were 
the  natural  channels  through  which  their  ideas  flowed 
and  were  conveyed  from  one  to  anotlier.  From  this 
cause  *  the  style  of  the  New  Testament,'  as  is  remarked 
by  the  learned  Dr.  Home,  Mias  a  considerable  affinity 
with  the  Septuagint  version. .  .  .  The  peculiarities  of  the 
Hebrew  phraseology  are  discernible  throughout.'  *  The 
Septuagint,'  says  the  same  writer,  ^  being  written  in  the 
same  dialect  as  the  New  Testament  (the  formation  of 
whose  style  was  influenced  by  it),  it  becomes  a  very  im- 
portant source  of  interpretation  ;  for  not  only  does  it 
serve  to  determine  the  genuine  reading,  but  also  to  as- 
certain the  meaning  of  particular  idiomatic  expressions 
and  passages  in  the  New  Testament,  the  true  import 


196  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

of  which  could  not  be  known  but  from  their  use  in 
the  Septuagint. 

"Of  such  peculiar  'idiomatic  expressions'  the  pas- 
sages already  quoted  as  teaching  the  dogma  of  baptismal 
remission  of  sin  (viz.,  Mark  i :  4,  Acts  ii :  38,  Acts  xxii  : 
16)  are  examples.  The  idiom  of  the  Hebraic  Greek, 
of  which  these  passages  are  literal  translations,  consists 
in  applying  to  a  declaratory  rite  a  term  which  ])roperly 
designates  that  of  which  the  rite  is  merely  declaratory 
or  symbolical.  An  example  of  this  idioui  is  furnished 
by  Christ  himself  in  his  language  to  the  leper  whom 
he  had  healed,  as  is  recorded  by  Mark  in  chap,  i :  40- 
44 :  'And  there  came  a  leper  to  him,  beseeching  him, 
and  kneeling  down  to  him,  and  saying  unto  him,  If 
thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make  me  clean.  And  Jesus, 
moved  with  compassion,  put  forth  his  hand  and  touched 
him,  and  saith  unto  him,  I  will;  be  thou  clean.  And 
as  soon  as  he  had  spoken,  immediately  the  leprosy 
departed  from  him,  and  he  was  cleansed.  And  he 
straightway  charged  him,  and  sent  him  away;  and 
saith  unto  him,  See  thou  say  nothing  to  any  man  ;  but 
go  thy  way,  show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  offer  for 
thy  cleansing  those  things  which  Moses  commanded, 
for  a  testimony  unto  them.' 

"  Here  Christ  first  cleanses  [cures]  the  leper,  and  then 
directs  him  to  go  to  the  priest  and  offer  for  his  cleans- 
ing the  things  commanded  by  Moses.  The  law  of 
Moses  respecting  lepers  is  contained  in  the  13th  and 
14th  chapters  of  Leviticus ;  where  the  priest  is  required, 
first,  to  examine,  with  great  care  and  the  closest  scru- 
tiny, the  ])erson  who  supposes  himself  already  healed 
and  free  from  the  disease ;  and  if,  after  such  examina- 
tion, the  priest  believes  him  'clean' — i.  e.,  wholly  free 
from  leprosy — he  is  required,  for  the  benefit  of  the  ap- 
plicant, to  perform  the  rite  of  cleansing.     Nothing  is 


APPENDIX.  197 

plainer  than  that  this  ritual  cleansing  or  healing  was 
merely  declaratory  of  tlie  cleansing  or  healing  Avhich 
had  been  effected  j)reviously  to  the  examination  of  the 
applicant  by  the  priest.  This  peculiar  phraseology 
pervades  the  ritual  language  of  the  Levitical  law  as 
expressed  in  the  Septuagint  version ;  and  it  would  nat- 
urally be  employed  by  the  New  Testament  writers 
when  speaking  of  the  Christian  rite  of  baptism.  Hence 
we  need  not  be  surj^rised  at  hearing  Mark  speak  of  John 
baptizing  for  the  remission  of  sins,  when  the  sins  had 
already  been  remitted,  if  Christ  himself  speaks  of 
cleansing  a  man  already  clean.  Both  expressions  are 
the  same  idiom  applied  to  different  subjects.  ^  Arise, 
and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sius,^  is  the  same 
idiom  slightly  modified  by  introducing  the  figure  of 
washing  away  in  place  of  remission  or  forgiveness  of 
sin.''    (Pages  388,  389.) 


Corresponds  with  the  "  Third  Characteristic  Feature,'^ 
under  Chap.  VI. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  yielding  his  unre- 
served and  supreme  allegiance  to  Christ. 

Section  1.  "Wayland,  answering  another  plea  for 
disregarding  the  command  of  Christ,  says: 

"  It  may,  however,  be  said  that  a  public  profession 
by  an  act  in  itself  so  noticeable  is  a  severe  trial  to 
persons  of  delicacy  and  refinement.  It  is  a  cross 
which  they  will  not  take  up,  and  if  we  adhere  to  what 
is  here  supposed  to  be  a  command  of  Christ,  we  shall 
keep  many  of  the  most  intelligent  and  influential  per- 
sons out  of  the  church  of  Christ. 


198  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

"  Of  all  tins  we  are  perfectly  aware,  and  yet  it  does 
not  move  ns.  Men  and  women  living  in  sin  are  per- 
fectly willing,  in  the  most  open  and  noticeable  way,  to 
profess  their  allegiance  to  the  enemy  of  souls.  They 
do  not  go  to  theaters  and  operas  by  stealth,  but 
glory  in  the  service  which  they  have  chosen.  They  do 
not  shrink  from  performing  dances,  at  which  modesty 
must  blush,  in  the  presence  of  a  whole  assembly;  and 
when  they  put  off  all  these  things,  renounce  the  service 
of  Satan  and  assume  the  livery  of  Christ,  is  it  not 
proper  that  this  should  be  done  by  the  performance  of 
a  public  and  noticeable  act?  If  they  have  denied 
Christ  before  men,  is  it  not  right  that  they  should  also 
confess  him  before  men  ?  Is  it  not  meet  that  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Christian's  life  he  should  take 
up  his  cross  in  the  presence  of  those  who  by  his  exam- 
ple may  have  been  led  into  sin?  Would  not  a  disciple 
in  a  right  state  of  mind  do  this  from  choice,  and  insist 
upon  doing  it?" — Principles  and  Practices  of  Baptists  ^ 
pages  90,  91. 

Knapp : 

*^  We  are,  like  Christ,  buried  as  dead  persons  by  bap- 
tism, and  should  arise,  like  him,  to  a  new  life When 

we  are  baptized,  (we)  take  upon  ourselves  tlie  obliga- 
tion to  die  to  sin  in  a  spiritual  manner,  as  Ciirlst  died 
and  was  burled  bodily,  etc.  The  image  is  here  taken 
from  baptized  persons  as  they  wTre  im merged  (buried) 
and  as  they  emerged  (rose  again)  ;  so  it  was  understood 
by  Chrysostom.  Since  immersion  has  been  disused, 
the  full  significance  of  this  comparison  is  no  longer 
perceived. 

"  So,  then,  by  baptism  we  profess  to  receive  Christ 
as  our  Teacher,  Saviour,  and  Lord — i.  e.,  we  thus  bind 
ourselves  to  embrace  and  obey  his  doctrine,  confidently 


APPENDIX.  199 

to  trust  his  promises,  to  expect  from  him  all  our  spir- 
itual blessedness,  and  to  render   him  a  dutiful  obe- 
'  dience.     This  is  what  is  meant  in  the  New  Testament 
/  by  being  baptized  in  the  name  of  Christ/' — Christian 
Theology,  page  490. 

Matthew  Henry,  speaking  of  baptism,  says : 

^'  It  is  an  oath  of  abjuration,  by  wdiich  we  renounce 
the  world  and  the  flesh  as  rivals  with  God  for  the 
I  throne  in  our  hearts,  and  an  oath  of  allegiance  by 
I  which  we  resign  and  give  up  ourselves  to  God,  to  be 
his,  our  own  selves,  our  whole  selves,  body',  soul,  and 
spirit,  to  be  governed  by  his  will,  and  made  happy  in 
his  favor :  we  become  his  men  ;  so  the  form  of  homage 
in  our  law^  runs/' — Quoted  by  Lynd,  Design  of  Bap- 
tism,  page  27. 

J.  A.  Broaddus,  in  The  Christian  Repository,  of  Sep- 
tember, 1872,  in  an  article  on  the  Design  of  Bap- 
tism, says : 

"  Furthermore,  the  observance  of  this  rite  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  the  profession  of  allegiance  to  Christ, 
We  are  not  baptized  unto  Moses,  or  unto  Paul,  but 
unto  Christ — unto  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  we  therefore  publicly  avow  that  we  are  disciples, 
not  of  Moses,  nor  of  Paul,  but  of  Christ ;  that  we  take 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  as  our  God, 
and  devote  ourselves  to  be  his  servants.  It  thus  not  a 
little  resembles  an  oath  of  allegiance.^'    (Page  181.) 

Professor  Curtis: 

'*The  believer  in  Christ  here  (in  baptism)  surren- 
ders the  world,  and  professes  himself  alive  unto  God. 
He  here  renounces,  yea,  as  it  were,  buries  in  a  liquid 


200  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

grave,  the  pomps  and  vanities  of  the  world — its  pride, 
its  ambition,  its  selfishness,  its  supreme  and  ruling 
attachment  to  the  riches  and  honors  and  pleasures  of 
this  life.  He  promises  to  be  a  follower  of  the  meek 
and  humble  Jesus,  to  obey  his  laws,  to  imitate  his 
example,  to  be  guided  by  his  Spirit,  to  live,  in  fact, 
a  life  of  holy  love,  courage,  and  confession.  Bap- 
tism is  here  placed  at  the  threshold  of  the  Chris- 
tian course,  as  a  pledge  that  the  candidate  will  be 
ready  to  follow  it  up  by  a  life  spent  in  the  confession 
of  Christ,  in  whatever  way  he  requires/' — Progress 
of  Baptist  Principles,  page  22. 

Williams : 

"  It  is  an  act  in  which  we  declare  our  faith  in  Jesus, 
as  our  great  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  and  yield 
ourselves  entirely  to  his  control.  This,  Paul  teaches 
us  in  Gal.  iii :  27  :  *  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been 
baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ.'  As  we 
are  covered  by  our  clothes,  so  are  we  by  tlie  authority 
of  Jesus ;  the  Avhole  man  is  by  voluntary  dedication 
his." — Exposition  of  Campbellism,  page  351. 

Section  2.  Andrew  Fuller,  speaking  of  believers' 
baptism  in  the  primitive  ages,  says  : 

^^  It  was  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  King  of 
Zion — that  by  which  they  avowed  the  Lord  to  be  their 
God.  Hence  a  rejection  of  it  involved  a  rejection  of 
the  counsel  of  God.  .  .  .  Such,  brethren,  is  the  pro- 
fession we  have  made.  We  have  not  only  declared  in 
words  our  repentance  toward  God,  and  our  faith  to- 
ward our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but'  have  said  the  same 
things  by  our  baptism.  We  have  solemnly  surren- 
dered ourselves  up  to  Christ,  taking  him  to  be  our 
Prophet,  Priest,   and  King;   engaging  to  receive  his 


APPENDIX.  201 

doctrine,  to  rely  on  his  atonement,  and  to  obey  his 
laws.  The  vows  of  God  are  upon  us.  AVe  have  even 
sworn  to  keep  his  righteous  judgments;  and  without 
violating  the  oath  of  God,  we  can  not  go  back." — 
Works,  vol.  iii,  page  340. 

Hinton : 

"But  baptism  is  much  more  than  an  ordinary  act 
of  obedience;   when   this    duty  is    discharged    as   the 
Scriptures  require,  it  is  a  solemn   declaration  of  devo-  . 
tiou  of  the  whole  future  life  to  Christ." — History  of  i 
Baptism,  page  357. 

J.  L.  Waller: 

"  Baptism,  as  we  have  already  remarked,  is  God's 
appointed  way  for  making  a  public  profession  of  his 
religion.  A  man  thus,  by  a  most  impressive  and  sol- 
emn action,  renounces  sin,  and  declares  his  determina- 
tion to  serve  God.  The  world  so  understands  him. 
His  former  associates  in  sin  regard  him  as  having  for- 
saken their  company,  and  they  no  longer  expect  him 
to  be  their  leader  in  wickedness;  they  have  now  to 
shake  off  his  influence  from  their  minds,  or  else  to  walk 
with  him  in  the  new  life  which  they  regard  him  as 
pledged  to  live.  If  he  has  been  a  notoriously  wicked 
man,  the  more  convincing  is  the  testimony  his  action 
bears  to  the  power  and  value  of  religion.  The  whole 
weight  of  his  character,  therefore,  is  thrown  in  fjivor 
of  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  this  view  of  the  subject, 
baptism  not  only  appears  an  important  ordinance,  but 
is  invested  with  a  moral  beauty  and  grandeur  obvious 
to  every  mind.  In  it  the  world  sees  the  friend  of 
Jesus  enlisting  under  his  banner — the  pilgrim  starting 
on  his  journey  to  the  heavenly  Canaan.     In  baptism 


202  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

he  bids  adieu  to  the  courses  of  sin,  and  says  to  all  his 
friends :  ^  I  am  bound  to  the  lieavenly  world ;  come 
and  go  to  heaven  with  me/  He  now  stands  forth  a 
pillar  of  light  in  a  dark  place,  that  he  may  direct  others 
to  the  love  and  service  of  the  Lord.  He  now  enters  that 
city  which  is  set  on  a  hill,  whose  light  can  not  be  hid. 
Hence  it  may  be  said  that  he  washes  away  his  sins, 
because  in  baptism  he  renounces  them,  and  is  regarded 
by  the  world  as  no  longer  identified  with  them ;  but 
as  their  open  enemy.  This  is  the  appointed  place  to 
change  the  current  of  his  influence,  hitherto  in  favor 
of  sin,  against  it  and  in  favor  of  religion,  to  roll  on  so 
until  the  consummation  of  all  things.  To  this  change, 
all  regard  him  as  having  pledged  himself;  and  even 
men  of  the  world  scorn  him  when  he  proves  recreant 
to  the  cause  which  he  vowed  to  maintain. 

''  Such,  in  short,  we  regard  to  be  the  main  design 
of  baptism.  It  is  a  mighty  moral  engine.  It  is  full 
of  meaning,  and  the  view  we  have  taken  demonstrates 
the  propriety  and  the  importance  of  the  scriptural  doc- 
trine that  makes  baptism  the  first  duty  of  the  believer.^' 
—  Western  Baptist  Review^  vol.  i,  pages  231,  232. 

McKnight,  in  his  note  on  1  Cor.  x :  2,  says : 

"  Because  the  Israelites,  being  hid  from  the  Egyp- 
tians under  the  cloud,  and  by  passing  through  the  Hed 
Sea,  were  made  to  declare  their  belief  in  the  Lord,  and 
in  his  servant  Moses  (Ex.  xiv :  31),  the  apostle  very 
properly  represents  them  as  baptized  unto  Moses  in 
the  cloud  and  in  the  sea.^' 

Lynd : 

"  Our  Lord  ascended  to  the  throne  in  the  heavens, 
after  his  resurrection,  and  became,  in  his  mediatorial 


APPENDIX.  203 

character,  Lord  of  all.  A  confession  of  him  as  our 
Lord  in  baptism  is  a  confession  unto  salvation  ;  because, 
by  confessing  thus,  we  acknowledge  our  subjection  to 
him  as  King  of  Zion.  We  make  a  full  and  formal 
renunciation  of  our  former  allegiance,  and  solemnly 
bind  ourselves  to  be  the  subjects  of  his  spiritual  gov- 
ernment. 

"  This  formal  subjection  to  Christ  is  an  inherent 
element  of  the  faith  that  justifies ;  and,  hence,  without 
it,  no  true  faith  exists  in  the  soul  which  does  not  ren- 
der it — life  and  opportunity  being  granted  for  the  pur- 
pose.^^ — Design  of  Baptism ^  page  21. 


G 

Corresjionds  with  the  "  Fourth  Characteristic  Feature/^ 
under  Chapter  YII. 

Baptism  symbolizes  the  believer  putting  on  Christ, 
in  the  hope  and  full  assurauce  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead."" 

Section  1.    Carson : 

'*  In  our  baptism,  then,  we  are  emblematically  laid 
in  the  grave  with  Christ,  and  we  also  emblematically 
rise  with  him.  It  is  designed  to  point  to  our  own 
resurrection  as  well  as  th§  resurrection  of  Christ.  In 
baptism  we  profess  our  faith  in  the  one  as  past,  and  in 
the  other  as  future.^' — Carson  on  Baptismy  page  144. > 

Lynd  : 

^'  It  is  designed  to  set  forth  symbolically  the 
doctrine  of  redemption  through  the  death  of  Christ  for 
our  offenses,  and  his  resurrection  for  our  justification, 
and  also  our  faith  in  this  doctrine.  ...  Of  this  promi- 


204  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

nent  fact  in  relation  to  redemption,  baptism  is  a 
memorial;  and  not  only  a  memorial,  but  a  voluntary- 
demonstration  upon  our  part  of  our  faith  in  liis  resur- 
rection for  our  justification.  It  is,  in  fact,  the  outward 
development  of  internal  faith  in  this  doctrine/^ 

Section  2.     Curtis: 

"  Baptism  is  not  merely  retrospective,  but  also  pro- 
spective; not  only  a  profession  of  the  past,  but  a  promise 
and  a  pledge  of  things  yet  future;  and  hence  its  im- 
portant bearing  on  the  Christian  to  the  very  end  of 
life.^' — Progress  of  Baptist  Principles ^  page  221. 

Dr.  Adam  Clark : 

"  If  there  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead,  those  who, 
in  becoming  Christians,  expose  themselves  to  all  man- 
ner of  privations,  severe  sufferings,  and  a  violent  death, 
can  have  no  compensation,  nor  any  motive  sufficient  to 
induce  them  to  expose  themselves  to  such  miseries. 
But  as  they  receive  baptism  as  an  emblem  of  death,  in 
voluntarily  going  under  the  water,  so  they  receive  it  as 
an  emblem  of  the  resurrection  and  eternal  life  in  com- 
ing np  out  of  the  water.  -  Thus  they  are  baptized  for 
the  dead,  in  perfect  faith  of  the  resurrection.^' — Quoted 
by  Dr.  Lynd,  Design  of  Baptism ^  page  31. 

Williams  : 

"  The  ordinance  of  baptism,  like  some  of  the  other 
ordinances  to  which  we  have  alluded,  while  it  com- 
memorates, also  typifies  and  promises.  .  .  ..So  baptism, 
while  it  commemorates  the  burial  and  resurrection  of 
•Jesus,  typifies  and  pledges  our  resurrection  from  the 
grave.  This  I  take  to  be  the  import  of  1  Cor.  xv : 
29 :  ^  Else  what  shall  they  do  which  are  baptized  for 


APPENDIX.  205 

the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all?  Why  are  they 
then  , baptized  for  the  dead?^  Remember,  in  this 
chapter  the  apostle  labors  to  prove  the  resurrection 
from  tlie  dead — an  event  denied  by- some  in  the  Corin- 
thian Church.  He  uses,  first,  the  argument  drawn 
from  the  acknowledged  resurrection  of  Christ.  These 
two  events,  accordiug  to  Paul,  were  associated  together 
as  cause  and  eifect,  and  they  stood  or  fell  together. 
The  one  could  not  be  denied  without  the  other  being 
denied.  He  draws,  secondly,  an  argument  from 
ba})tism  ;  as  if  he  had  said :  ^  Your  denial  of  the 
resurrection,  in  effect,  is  a  denial  of  the  resurrection  of 
Christ.  Then  you  make  baptism  a  ridiculous  farce. 
You  have  commemorated  an  event  that  never  occurred. 
You  have  been  baptized  on  account  of  Oue  that  still 
sleeps  in  the  grave ;  and  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all,  as  you 
say,  your  baptism  has  no  meaning.  It  is  a  resurrection 
in  type;  but  what  signifies  a  type  if  there  be  no  anti- 
type?' 

"  And,  now,  how  important  does  baptism  appear 
under  this  view !  Every  newly  converted  person  is 
required  in  this  rite  to  bear  witness  to  the  resurrection 
of  Jesus.  He  believes  in  his  heart  that  God  has  raised 
Christ  from  the  dead  (Rom.  x  :  9),  and  now  he  declares 
his  faith  in  action ;  and  when  he  remembers  that  God 
never  gives  a  pledge  he  does  not  redeem,  how  delight- 
fully should  he  accept  of  this  pledge  !  Standing  in  the 
water,  with  his  soul  full  of  faith  in  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus,  and  of  hope  of  his  own  future  resurrection,  how 
cheerfully  can  he  submit  to  be  buried  in  it,  and  raised 
again  when  he  feels  that  in  the  same  act  he  com- 
memorates the  one  and  ty])ifies  the  other  !'^ — Exposition 
of  Camphellism,  pages  34:9,  350. 


206  DESIGN  OF   BAPTISM. 


H 

Corresponds   with    "  Concluding   Reflections/^   under 
Chapter  VIII. 

Section  3.  Dr.  J.  M.  Pendleton,  meeting  the  as- 
sumption of  Dr.  Summers  that,  '^  on  grounds  of  con- 
venience and  congruity,  (sprinkling)  is  greatly  pref- 
erable^' to  immersion,  says: 

"  The  congruity  of  the  action  of  baptism  must  arise 
from  the  fitness  of  that  action  to  represent  the  facts 
emblematically  set  forth  in  baptism ;  and  what  are 
these  facts?  The  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ — 
the  believer's  death  to  sin  and  resurrection  to  newness 
of  life.  Baptism  symbolizes  these  facts,  and  has  also 
an  anticipatory  reference  to  the  resurrection  of  the 
saints  on  the  last  day,  as  we  learn  from  1  Cor.  xv :  29. 
(See  Adam  Clark's  comment  in  loco.)  It  doubtless  has 
this  reference,  because  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the 
procuring  cause  and  the  certain  pledge  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  his  followers.  Kow,  if  baptism  represents  these 
facts,  it  must  be  immersion. '^ — Review  of  Dr.  Sum- 
mers on  Baptism,  Christian  Repositoryy  vol.  i,  January, 
1853,  page  57. 

Section  4.    Dr.  Owen  : 

"  There  is  nothing  in  religion  that  hath  any  efficacy 
for  compassing  an  end  but  it  hath  it  from  God's 
appointment  of  it  to  that  purpose.  God  may  in  his 
wisdom  appoint,  and  accept  of,  ordinances  and  duties 
unto  one  end  which  he  will  refuse  and  reject  when 
they  are  applied  to  another.  To  do  any  thing  ap- 
pointed unto  an  end  without  aiming  at  that  end,  is  no 
better  than  the  not  doing  it  at  all;  in  some  cases,  much 


APPENDIX.  207 

worse." — Quoted  in  the  Encyclopedia  of  Heligious 
KnowledgCj  under  the  head  of  Design  of  Baptism, 
page  185. 

Dr.  Daniel  Dana.  The  following  remarks  of  this 
learned  and  candid  author  on  changing  '^  the  Lord's 
Supper/'  in  his  review  of  Chapin's  essay  on  sacramental 
use  of  wine,  are  equally  appropriate  to  baptism,  which 
is  a  positive  institution  : 

"  Who  sees  not,''  says  he,  "  that  in  regard  to  positive  t 
divine  institutions,  our  duty  is  equally  plain  and  im-'i 
perious — the  duty  of  unqualified,  implicit  submission?' 
Here  all  a  priori  reasonings  are  out  of  place  ;  all  objec- 
tions are  palpably  fallacious,  and  every  plan,  and  every 
thought  of  chancre  or  modification  ought  to  be  resisted 
with  horror.  The  positive  institutions  of  heaven  are 
emphatically  trials,  both  of  our  faith  and  our  obedience. 
They  bring  home  the  question  whether  we  will  submit 
our  understanding  to  the  divine  guidance,  as  well  as 
our  will  to  the  divine  pleasure.  To  oppose  them  is  to 
dispute  infinite  authority.  To  attempt  their  improve- 
ment is  to  prefer  our  ignorance  to  the  wisdom  of  heaven. 
To  dispense  with  them,  or  any  of  them,  is  to  repeal  the 
laws  of  the  Sovereign  of  the  Universe." — Quoted  by 
Dr.  Graves,  in  his  Introductory  Keview  of  Stuart 
on  Baptism  J  page  31. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Reynolds : 

"  Baptism  is  a  positive  institution.  . .  .  Positive  in- 
stitutions derive  their  validity  solely  from  the  authority 
of  the  Lawgiver.  They  are  obligatory,  because  he  has 
made  them  so ;  and  they  are  valid  only  in  the  form  in 
which  he  has  thought  fit  to  appoint  them.  To  mutilate 
or  abridge  them  is  not  simply  to  modify  but  to  subvert 
them. ...  To   alter  the   ordinance   or    substitute   any 


208  DESIGN   OF   BAPTISM. 

tiling  else  in  its  place,  is  not  to  obey  the  command  of 
Christ,  and  such  a  procedure  involves  either  a  reflection 
upon  his  wisdom,  or  a  contempt  of  his  authority." — 
Church  Polity,  pages  148,  149. 

Section  5.  Dr.  Lynd,  speaking  of  the  farther  sig- 
nificance of  baptism,  says : 

^^  This  is  giving  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  and  not  to 
his  people,  which  we  afterward  do  according  to  God's 
will,  when  we  unite  with  them  in  a  church  capacity. 
It  is  important  to  keep  the  idea  of  'the  kingdom  of 
God,'  or  ^the  kingdom  of  heaven,'  distinct  from  that 
of  an  organized  congregation  of  believers,  or  a  church. 
The  terms  are  never  used  as  identical.  The  kingdom 
of  Jesus  Christ  has  no  visible  organization  ;  it  is  com- 
posed of  multitudes  already  in  heaven,  with  believers 
on  earth.  To  become  members  of  a  church,  we  must 
first  be  formally  recognized  by  Jesus  Christ  as  the  sub- 
jects of  his  spiritual  kingdom,  in  the  ordinance  of  bap- 
tism. In  primitive  times,  baptized  believers  were 
called  ^the  saved ;'  and  it  is  said  the  Lord  added  to  th6 
church  daily  —  the  saved,  not  *  such  as  should  be 
saved.'  Baptism  has  a  much  more  important  design 
than  that  of  being  a  door  into  a  Christian  congrega- 
tion." 

Dr.  Reynolds: 

^^A  church  is  composed  of  baptized  believers.  Bap- 
tism is  indispensable  to  their  admission  into  it,  but  it 
does  not  make  them  church-members." — Church  Polity y 
pages  146,  147. 

Section  6.  Calvin,  speaking  of  infants,  says  : 

"  The  grace  of  adoption  is  sealed  in  their  flesh  by 
baptism ;  otherwise  Anabaptists  would  be  right  in  ex- 


APPENDIX.  209 

eluding   them    from   baptism." — Quoted   by  Hinton, 
History  of  Baptism,  page  344. 

Presbyterian  Confession  of  Faith : 

"  Baptism  is  a  sacrament  of  the  New  Testament,  or- 
dained by  Jesus  Christ,  not  only  for  the  solemn  admis- 
sion of  the  party  baptized  into  the  visible  church,  but 
also  to  be  unto  him  a  sign  and  seal  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  of  his  engrafting  into  Christ,  of  regeneration,  of 
remission  of  sins,  and  of  his  giving  up  unto  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  to  walk  in  newness  of  life." — 
Quoted  by  Hinton,  History  of  Baptism,  page  342. 

Dwight,  speaking  of  baptism,  says : 

"  Here  the  sign  is  the  seal  of  God,  set  by  his  own 
authority  upon  those  who,  in  this  world,  are  visibly  his 
children.  It  has  all  the  properties  mentioned  above, 
and  is  possessed  of  more  efficacy  than  can  be  easily 
comprehended,  and  incomparably  more  than  is  usually 
mistrusted,  to  keep  Christians  united,  alive  and  active 
in  the  great  duties  of  religion,  and  in  the  great  interests 
of  the  churcli  of  God." —  Works,  vol.  iv,  page  309. 

Confession  of  Faith  of  Church  of  Scotland,  prepared 
chiefly  by  John  Knox,  and  adopted  in  1560,  holds  the 
following  language  : 

"  The  vanity  of  those  who  affirm  that  the  sacraments 
are  mere  signs,  we  entirely  condemn.  Nay,  rather,  we 
firmly  believe  that  by  baptism  we  are  inserted  into 
Jesus  Christ,  and  are  made  partakers  of  his  righteous- 
ness, by  which  all  our  sins  are  covered  and  remitted." — 
Chase  on  Baptismal  Regeneration,  in  his  work  on  the 
Design  of  Baptism,  pages  187,  188. 

Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the  Church  of  England.    The 

18 


210  DESIGN  OF  BAPTISM. 

same  author  quotes  the  twenty-seventh  of  the  Thirty- 
nine  Articles^  adopted  in  1562,  as  follows: 

"  Baptism  is  not  only  a  sign  of  profession  and  mark 
of  difference  whereby  Christian  men  are  discerned  from 
others  that  be  not  christened,  but  is  also  a  sign  of  re- 
generation or  new  birth,  whereby,  as  by  an  instrument, 
they  that  receive  baptism  rightly  are  grafted  into  the 
Church ;  the  promises  of  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  of 
our  ado})tion  to  be  the  sons  of  God  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
are  visibly  signed  and  sealed/^ — Design  of  Baptism, 
page  188. 

Neander  says : 

"But  when,  now,  on  the  one  hand,  the  doctrine  of 
the  corruption  and  guilt  cleaving  to  human  nature,  in 
consequence  of  the  first  transgression,  was  reduced  to  a 
more  precise  and  systematic  form,  and  on  the  other, 
from  the  want  of  duly  distinguishing  between  what  is 
outward  and  what  Is  inward  in  baptism  (the  baptism 
by  water,  and  the  baptism  by  the  Spirit),  the  error  be- 
came more  firmly  established,  that  without  external  bap- 
tism no  one  could  be  delivered  from  that  inherent  guilt, 
could'be  saved  from  the  everlasting  punishment  that 
threatened  him,  or  raised  to  eternal  life ;  and  when  the 
notion  of  a  magical  influence,  a  charm  connected  with 
the  sacraments  continually  gained  ground,  the  theory 
was  finally  evolved  of  the  unconditional  necessity  of 
infant  baptism.  About  the  middle  of  the  third  century 
this  theory  was  already  generally  admitted  in  the 
North  African  Church." — History  of  the  CJiristian  Re- 
ligion and  Church,  vol  i,  page  313. 

John  Wesley,  in  his  comment  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment, page  350 : 

^'  Baptism  administered  to  real  penitents  is  both  a 


APPENDIX.  211 

means  and  a  seal  of  pardon.  Nor  did  God  ordinarily, 
in  the  primitive  church,  bestow  this  (pardon)  on  any, 
unless  through  this  means/^ — Quoted  by  Dr.  Fuller, 
Baptism  and  the  Terms  of  Communion^  page  86. 

Dr.  Crawford : 

'^  The  position  which  baptism  occupies  in  the  gospel 
scheme  has  been  a  matter  of  dispute  ever  since  men 
began  to  confound  the  sign  with  the  thing  signified, 
the  profession  with  the  reality.  Especially  have  mis- 
takes on  this  point  been  rife,  and  pregnant  with  un- 
numbered evils,  since  men,  departing  from  the  sim- 
ple teachings  of  Revelation,  have  invented  a  theory 
which,  without  precept  or  example  in  the  word  of  God 
to  sustain  it,  changes  baptism  from  a  profession  of 
grace  experienced  and  allegiance  pledged,  and  makes  it 
either  an  oims — operation — by  which  actual  regeneration 
is  produced,  or  a  seal  of  a  promise  (which  God  never 
made)  which  exists  only  in  the  superstitious  notions  of 
the  conscious  actors  in  the  solemn  farce." — Essay  on 
the  Remission  of  Sins,  pages  58,  59. 

The  quotations  under  this  last  section  have  been  in- 
troduced for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  justice  and 
propriety  of  the  discussion  under  the  corresponding 
section  of  the  main  work. 


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THE  BIBLE;  ITS  DIVINE  ORIGIN  AND  INSPIRATION; 

Deduced  from  Internal  Evidence,  and  the  Testimonies  of  Nature, 
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Edition,  with  Analysis  and  Topical  Index.    12mo.,  cloth $1  75 

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on. 


Handbook  of  Baptist  History, 

By  D.  B.  ray,  of  Lexington,  Ky. 


The  "Succession"  is  a  convenient  handbook  of  Baptist 
history. 

First,  It  answers  the  objections  to  Baptist  antiquity. 

Second,  It  points  out  the  most  direct  line  of  Baptist  suc- 
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Third,  It  shows  that  the  Baptist  peculiarities  are  sus- 
tained by  the  Word  of  God. 

Fourth,  It  is  the  collection  of  reliable  authorities  neces- 
sary to  defend  the  Baptist  claims. 

Fifth,  It  contains  an  account  of  the  dreadful  persecutions 
waged  against  the  Baptists. 

Sixth.  "It  is  the  Book  op  Baptist  History  for  the 
People. 

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